


Merchant of Death

by Imagined



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Childhood Trauma, Euthanasia, Gen, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Tony Stark, Manipulation, Mental Breakdown, Minor Character Death, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Protective Siblings, Protective Tony Stark, Thanos' A+ parenting, Tony Stark-centric, Torture, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-07 12:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagined/pseuds/Imagined
Summary: Major Infinity War spoilers.The year is 1977. Thanos arrives on Earth, intending to wipe out half of humanity. During his invasion, he meets the seven-year-old Tony Stark and decides to adopt him.





	1. The Slaughter

_New York, 1977._

It’s the middle of June. For all intents and purposes, it’s a normal day in New York. The weather isn’t too hot, but it’s still fine for being outside. It seems like most of New York agrees on that, Tony thinks as he walks past a few people on the crowded street. 

‘’Come on, Tony,’’ Maria says, clutching Tony’s hand a little tighter than before as she walks through the masses of people. Normally, Jarvis would drive them, but he has a family emergency, and Maria had decided it was too much of a bother to hire another driver for just a day. Tony knows she doesn’t like the hassle, and the security checks. She has high standards, his mother, and he thinks that Jarvis is the only one capable of meeting them anyway.

‘’Can we go see the cars, mum?’’ he asks quietly. There’s a car show around here that Howard is going to, but he refuses to take Tony, even though he’s begged the entire week. Tony should know better now than to think his dad will want him by his side. Tony does know better, it’s just that the hope seems to linger.

Maria sighs, and stops. Her hand is clammy in his, and she releases him, bowing down to meet his eyes. ‘’You know your father doesn’t want you there,’’ she reminds him gently, and kisses his forehead. ‘’You don’t want him to get angry at you again, Tony? Do you?’’

Tony doesn’t. He thinks he doesn’t like his father, maybe, but everyone tells him that he should love his parents, that he’s very lucky, so maybe he’s just wrong. But he doesn’t like it when Howard grabs his arm painfully, or when he shouts at him, or when he says that Tony’s inventions are wrong and breaks them apart.

He’s lucky, because he’s rich. Tony doesn’t feel so very lucky, but at least he has his mum, and she lifts him up. ‘’I’m too old for this, mum,’’ he mutters, but Maria hugs him tightly.

‘’You’re too heavy, too,’’ she jokes, and sets him down again. Tony smiles at her.

It’s not an extraordinary day at all. At least, he doesn’t think so, until the sky explodes.

People around them start screaming and shouting, and Maria grabs Tony’s hand again. ‘’What’s that?’’ Tony asks breathlessly as they start running too. He doesn’t recognize the ships that come closer every second, and he feels more curious than scared.

‘’Tony!’’ Maria shouts, and she pulls at his hand. Tony tries to come along, but loses his grip on her after someone runs into him. The crowd is moving too fast, too chaotically, and he can’t see his mother, and then something explodes beside him.

Tony screams, trying to duck away from all the people running past him. Something’s coming out of those ships, and the buildings are on fire, and the noise won’t stop. He clutches himself to the first lamppost he sees, deciding to climb in it. Maybe he’ll find his mother, that way. Maybe someone can come help him.

It seems people are more concerned with helping themselves. A few feet high, Tony Stark clutches the lamppost tightly, watching the crowd run and trample over each other with big eyes. In a matter of seconds, New York has become a mess – and he still doesn’t know why. There’s bodies on the ground, and Tony is old enough to know these people have died in the crowd, that there is danger, that something is coming.

He can’t do anything but hold on, crying in desperation, but finding no one to help him.

Just as suddenly, the noise stops.

Tony looks at the crowd, that is now standing still. It’s clear why: they’ve been cut off from the streets, aliens with glowing weapons and menacing eyes standing in front of them. Tony’s arms tremble with the effort of keeping himself up, but he forces himself to keep going, and looks to the other end of the street. There’s even more aliens, standing there. They’re waiting for something; Tony doesn’t know what, until there’s a whisper in the air, and the aliens start dividing the people in the street into two groups.

Somewhere else, Tony can faintly hear gunshots, and people yelling. After that, there’s only yells and desperate pleas that he can hear, and Tony closes his eyes.

He wants his mom. He wants all of this to be explained, but even more than that, he wants it to go away.

He opens his eyes again when he feels a hand on his leg, trying to pull him downwards. ‘’Get away from me,’’ Tony yells, voice hoarse as he starts crying again, at the same time kicking downwards. It doesn’t do much, because the alien only seems more determined to get him.

But Starks are made of iron, and Tony is no exception. He’s been kidnapped more than once, and he’s been threatened even more often. With a shout, he grabs the taser that he made out of his pocket, changes it to the highest setting, and aims it at the alien. It drops dead on the spot, and Tony breathes heavily, sliding down the lamppost even though he doesn’t want to.

‘’No need for such violence,’’ a deep voice says, and Tony looks up to see a giant purple alien approach him, hands up in a defensive gesture. Then the alien nods at the taser Tony is still holding. ‘’Did you make that?’’

Tony stands up, pale but determined not to let whatever is going on just happen. It’s silent in the streets, apart from some cries, but everyone seems to be too afraid to make a noise. They have been divided into two groups, and now only Tony is standing apart, the giant in front of him giving him his full attention.

‘’I’m not afraid to use this again,’’ Tony says, trying to make his voice as steady as possible. Captain America wouldn’t be afraid. But he’s not Captain America, because the Captain has been dead since before Tony was even born. Tony is just a seven-year-old boy who doesn’t know what’s happening, and he can’t help it if he slowly starts sobbing again.

‘’You don’t fear killing?’’ the giant asks, seemingly amused. ‘’I think you are, young one. I think you’re more afraid than you want me to know. But bravery, I will tell you, is standing up despite fear. You have courage.’’

‘’Who are you?’’ Tony asks, holding the taser tightly. He doesn’t think it will help him, anymore.

‘’I am your saviour,’’ the giant says, and snaps his finger.

Tony closes his eyes again, but that doesn’t stop him from hearing the cries from one side of the street, and the bodies thumping on the floor on the other side.

~*~

Tony is numb. He sees the bodies, piling up on the floor. ‘’Don’t look,’’ the giant says, and pulls Tony towards him. He’s more gentle than Tony would have thought, for someone his size, but for some reason, this alien has decided that Tony is going to come along with him.

‘’You killed them,’’ Tony says. Half the people lie on the ground, and the other half is cradling the bodies, tears in their eyes, but still not making a sound as they watch the giant stroll by.

‘’I saved them,’’ the giant says.

‘’Killing and saving is not mutually exclusive,’’ Tony argues, and he sees the giant smile. Tony has learnt enough from his father’s business to know that.

‘’No, it’s not,’’ he agrees. ‘’I will teach you a truth, young one, the first I will teach you: this universe must have a balance. Everything depends on it. Everything is finite, and there are no exceptions to this rule.’’

‘’I know overpopulation is an issue,’’ Tony says, because Howard insists he reads the newspapers so he won’t become stupid, ‘’but killing half of the people, that’s wrong. You can’t do that.’’

‘’It’s mercy, child,’’ the giant says, and he stops walking, instead crouching in front of Tony. ‘’And I am the only one willing to provide it. My name is Thanos. What is yours?’’

‘’I’m not sure I want to tell you,’’ he says. ‘’I just want to know where my mom is. I want – I want Jarvis. I want you to go away, and to stop all of this.’’

Thanos lifts Tony’s chin with his finger, and it’s a bit frightening how certain he seems to be of himself. ‘’I want you to come with me,’’ Thanos says. ‘’There’s no stopping destiny, young one. Your parents are not worthy of one such as fierce as you, I know that in my heart. You may lack my blood, but you have my spirit, and thus, you are one of my children.’’

‘’Do I get a say in this?’’ Tony asks.

Thanos stands up, lifting Tony into one of the smaller aircrafts that is parked in the street. He squirms, but he is far too small to damage the alien. Not to mention that there’s far more aliens in the ship he’s now placed in. 

Thanos nods his head at one of the aliens. ‘’I adopted this child. Protect him with your life, and bring him to the mother ship. Do not let him escape, but do not harm him in any way. I will return once Earth is saved.’’

‘’Yes, master,’’ one of the aliens answer, and rests his hand on Tony’s shoulder. He wants to cry, but his eyes are dry. Then they fly away, and Tony can’t even bring it in himself to wonder how this ship works. All he can think of are the dead bodies on the floor, and Thanos’ conviction, and now his own situation.

All he can think of is that Thanos’ hand did not feel nearly as loving as his mother’s.

~*~

Tony is on the ship for three days. He thinks it’s three days, at least; they bring him food three times a day, by his calculations, but that’s all he can go on. When they reached the mother ship, which was so much bigger than all other ships that Tony had seen, one of the aliens put him in a room and since then, he has not left it. 

There’s enough technology in the room for Tony not to be bored, though. He doesn’t want to think about what is happening at home, what is happening to Earth. He wishes Thanos had never come, but that won’t change what has happened.

Nothing will. 

So he focuses on dismantling whatever technology he can reach, which so far, consists of parts of the wall, the alarm, part of his bed, and the shower that is in a room adjunct to his. There’s also a toilet, but Tony thinks that maybe he doesn’t want to touch that. He’s managed to get the shower working much better, though, even if some of the technology seemed odd to him. Still, technology is technology, and just because he hasn’t seen it before doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense. 

The door is something Tony can’t touch. It seems to be made of reinforced steel, or maybe something similar, and he can’t get it open from this side. There’s very little in the room to make a weapon out of, but the alarm had some sensors in it that Tony adapted. Now, if someone comes through the door, the alarm will go off, so at least he’ll be awake. It’s not much of a comfort, but it’s something.

‘’Hello there, young one,’’ a familiar voice says, and then Thanos comes through the door. The alarms go off, but the giant doesn’t look annoyed. 

‘’Did you kill them?’’ Tony asks quietly. He doesn’t want to know, but if half of Earth’s population has been wiped out, someone should grieve for them. Tony feels so small, and guilty. He didn’t ask for Thanos to take him, but here he is, alive and well.

Thanos sits down on his bed, gesturing for Tony to sit beside him. Tony accepts, reluctantly, not looking his abductor in the eyes. He can’t save himself, this time, nor can anyone else. He thinks that even Captain America wouldn’t be able to beat this madman, but it’s a nice fantasy. Tony pictures Captain America busting through the door, slamming his shield into the giant’s face, and then returns to reality.

‘’How old are you?’’ Thanos asks, ignoring Tony’s question.

Tony takes a deep breath. He can refuse to answer, but what is that going to do? ‘’I’m seven,’’ he says. ‘’Two weeks now. I have – I had a birthday party, next week.’’

‘’Can I know your name, now?’’ Thanos asks. Tony is silent, and the giant smiles. ‘’Calling you ‘young one’ works for me, but children grow up, and soon, you’ll resent the name. Tell me something else, then, if you will not tell me your name. I think you made that weapon that you killed my henchman with. Death seems to be a familiar concept to you. Tell me why.’’

‘’My father makes weapons,’’ Tony says, wondering if he should use ‘made’, but refusing to. He feels cold, suddenly, but not scared cold. He’s determined, and hard, and cold, and everything he’s never been before. Maybe he now understands what his mother meant, when he asked about Aunt Peggy. When she said that Peggy had seen a war, and seen people die who should not have, and when she said that sometimes, things happen that change a person. Maybe this is Tony’s war. Maybe this is the thing that will change him.

‘’My father makes weapons,’’ he repeats, ‘’ and he’ll make one to come for you. He’ll make one strong enough to shoot your ship, and it will burn, and you’ll be dead.’’

‘’But you’re on the ship, too,’’ Thanos says. 

Tony shakes his head. ‘’That doesn’t matter. He won’t care. He’ll kill you, and that’s a good thing.’’

‘’It seems to me that your father does not appreciate you enough, if he doesn’t care. I promise you this: until you are old enough, I will care for you. And if someone takes you, I will come for you. Because you are my child, now, and I take care of my children. But you have to cooperate. I know you are a very clever child, and I will teach you even more.’’

Tony is silent for a second. ‘’My name is Anthony Stark, but everyone calls me Tony,’’ he says softly, and it feels like defeat. He doesn’t know why.

Thanos strokes his hair, and Tony doesn’t move. 

When Thanos leaves, after sitting there together for a long time, Tony still doesn’t move. The only movement in the room is from the tears streaming down his cheeks.

~*~

‘’I want to show you something,’’ Thanos says. Tony stands up dutifully, and follows the giant out of his room. He knows they’re not anywhere near Earth anymore; he’s been allowed to leave his room more often, so he could see outer space, if he obeyed Thanos’ commands. It’s not hard, considering those commands mainly involved Tony not causing trouble anywhere and not dismantling the entire ship.

It’s not like Tony would know where to go, anyway. He can’t do anything, but follow Thanos.

He didn’t know they had landed, though. He follows Thanos outside, the sun blinding him for a moment as he looks around. The ship is sitting still on a planet, ruins scattered everywhere. Tony takes a deep breath, soaking it in. ‘’What is this place?’’ he asks.

‘’It used to be my home,’’ Thanos says. ‘’It is what your planet would have become, had I not intervened. This is a planet called Titan; go ahead, walk around. The air is breathable for your kind.’’

‘’Did you destroy it?’’ Tony asks. There’s not a living soul around. It seems like it used to be beautiful, but now there’s so much debris that Tony can’t be sure.

Thanos shakes his head, and lays a hand on Tony’s back. ‘’I did not, Anthony,’’ he says, and there’s something distant in his tone. ‘’I tried to save it, and my people. They didn’t listen, and then I was the only survivor. You see, Titan was just like Earth, once. But there were too many people, and like I told you before: all things are finite. Titan fell, and our people died, and not a single one of them was saved. A people and a planet, lost, because they refused to use their senses. Anthony, tell me what is better: everyone died, or an intervention which makes sure half of the people survive?’’

‘’Save half, I think,’’ Tony says. ‘’But… but you can’t save half by killing the other half. That’s insane.’’

‘’Think about it, boy,’’ Thanos says, his voice calm and logical. ‘’Everyone died on Titan. Not a single one was saved. The same would have happened to Earth. Everyone on there will be happy, from now on. There will be no shortage of food or land, their resources will be enough for everyone. Everyone who is dead, would die already, and everyone who now lives would be dead too. This way is the only way. I’m on the side of life. Don’t you agree?’’

Tony shakes his head, but he’s confused. The numbers add up. They do, and that’s what he doesn’t understand – how can killing so many people be a good thing?

But the numbers add up, and that’s the only thing that Tony knows.

‘’I think I understand,’’ he says.

‘’That’s good,’’ Thanos smiles, and takes his hand again.

Tony comes.


	2. The Sisters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, wow. I was blown away by the number of people that subscribed. I'm glad all of you like it so far!

_Zen-Whoberi, 1989_

Tony hates this. He hates it with a passion unrivalled by anything else.

‘’Anthony.’’

Thanos is standing there, a look in his eyes that would seem like anger to most, but Tony knows it’s disappointment. ‘’I know,’’ he says, and tries to look dispassionate as he does his best not to look at the buildings on fire, the people being lined up by their soldiers.

‘’Sometimes, I think you’re still that child I adopted, so many years ago,’’ Thanos says, laying a hand on Tony’s shoulder. He may have grown, but the hand still covers him easily, and Tony makes sure to stay still.

‘’I’m not,’’ Tony says, because he knows that’s what Thanos wants him to say, but he knows he is, too. He can’t stand being at Thanos’ displays of power, these mercy killings, and that hasn’t changed in the past twelve years that he’s been at his adoptive father’s side.

Tony is nineteen, and has been in space for longer than he’s ever lived on Earth. It’s no more than a vague memory, now, except for that final day. Holding his mother’s hand, and then losing her, and then seeing his people being killed.

He understands the reasoning, now. He knows why Thanos did it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. That doesn’t mean he wants to execute all of these people, these innocents.

‘’Go wait in the ship,’’ Thanos says, and Tony knows when he’s being dismissed. He’s lucky that Thanos isn’t forcing him to watch, this time, like he did a few years earlier. Maybe he’s realized that it’s a useless enterprise. 

Ebony Maw watches him as he passes by, disgust clear in his eyes. ‘’When are you going to learn?’’ his adoptive brother sneers.

‘’I don’t know, maybe when you finally get good looks,’’ Tony says, and walks away. He wants to get back before the killing starts. Maw gets pleasure from this, executing Thanos’ vision. Tony is just glad to be out of the way.

It’s not that Thanos has never done anything for him. He doubts he’d ever find the technology he has access to now on Earth, and Thanos has done everything in his power to ensure that Tony has that technology. Has done everything to ensure that Tony lives up to his full potential – and he has. He makes weapons, and shields, and ships, and they’re better than anything else in the galaxy. He knows that, considering he’s seen lots of it, by now. Thanos doesn’t stay in one place often, but he always returns to his Throne. And that’s where Tony spent his childhood.

He sits in the ship, hearing it hum. It’s a small comfort to him, the soft noise, and he focuses on that, closing his eyes.

He doesn’t realize he was sleeping until there’s a small child in front of him, peering up at him with big eyes. She’s a native from this planet, he can see that immediately, her skin a healthy green and her hair going light at the ends. She is holding one of Thanos’ knives in her hand, bigger than her fist. Tony immediately knows.

‘’Hi, there,’’ he says, crouching down to see her eye-to-eye. ‘’What’s your name?’’

‘’Gamora,’’ she says, and she looks back to the entrance of the ship. ‘’Is my mother coming?’’

Tony bites his lip, and looks up as Thanos enters, too. He gives Tony a meaningful look, and Tony looks back at the child, shaking his head. ‘’I’m sorry, Gamora, you’ll have to do with us for now,’’ he says. ‘’I’m Tony. How do you like that knife, huh?’’

‘’It’s pretty,’’ Gamora says, ‘’But I’m not sure I want it. I’m not allowed near pointy things.’’

‘’A wise lesson,’’ Tony agrees, and wishes that she didn’t have to take it, at all. ‘’Sometimes, we don’t get a choice, though. Pointy things can be pretty useful, too.’’

‘’Come, Gamora,’’ Thanos cuts in. ‘’I’ll show you around the ship.’’

Tony watches them leave.

~*~

Gamora is a curious child, and Tony is eager to keep that alive in her. She hasn’t shown any sign of being mechanically inclined, or of having a profound interest in any other field that may be useful to Thanos, which means that he’s probably going to teach her how to fight. And that may not even have been that bad, if Tony didn’t know how Thanos likes to teach his children. 

Tony knows that Thanos is already training another little girl to be one of his assassins. Nebula is one of his favourites, so far, but Thanos has a penchant of pitting his children against each other, and he’s doubtless going to do the same to her and Gamora. Nebula is just a bit younger than Gamora, if Tony had to guess, a Luphomoid he’d picked up only weeks earlier. Still, he likes his younger adoptive sister, more than anyone else in Thanos’ family, and so far, she’s been treated far more gently than Thanos’ other children.

He fears that that’s about to change.

~*~

‘’Anthony,’’ Thanos says.

They’re nearing home, or at least, what Tony supposes his home is, now. Thanos’ throne has always felt cold to him, but it’s the place he is most frequently.

‘’Yes?’’ He looks up to his adoptive father, trying to figure out what the conversation is going to be about.

‘’I hear you haven’t been keeping up with your training, as you should have.’’

Tony sighs. He doesn’t even have to ask who has told Thanos. The answer is always going to be Maw. ‘’I know. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’ve been working so much on the upgrades to –‘’

‘’Anthony, you know better than to make meaningless apologies. When we arrive, I want to see you practise against Ebony, and I’ll be very disappointed if you don’t win.’’

It’s impossible. It’s setting Tony up against a standard he can’t possibly achieve. But Thanos’ word is law, and so Tony just nods wordlessly. If Thanos wants him to get beaten up by his brother as punishment, then Tony will just have to do his best to land a few sucker punches too.

Thanos doesn’t leave, after that, however. He regards Tony silently for a few moments, and then calls for Gamora. The little girl comes into the room immediately, twirling the knife gently. ‘’Gamora, you’re going to stay with Anthony until we arrive,’’ Thanos says, and walks away before either of them can say anything.

Gamora sits down next to him. ‘’Why does he call you Anthony?’’ she asks. She’s perceptive, then; it’ll probably work in her favour. Then again, Thanos didn’t pick her just because. Every child he’s taken, every kid he’s adopted, all of them are someone that Thanos saw something special in. 

Tony tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. ‘’Because it’s my name,’’ he explains. ‘’But everyone calls me Tony, because it’s shorter. Only he doesn’t.’’

‘’What is he to you?’’

‘’The same that he wants to be for you,’’ Tony says. He is treading on dangerous ground here, but someone has to tell her. ‘’He adopted me, when he came to my planet. I’m from Earth, maybe you’ve heard of it as Terra. It’s not very famous, but it’s where I am from.’’

Gamora looks away, still playing with the small knife. ‘’Is he – I miss my mom. She’s not coming back, is she?’’

Tony takes a deep breath and then slips off the couch, crouching down in front of her and taking the knife from her, so she won’t hurt herself or anyone else. ‘’No, she’s not. Thanos saved your planet from extinction, Gamora, like he did mine. I know it’s cruel, and I know it’s painful, but death is the price we have to pay for life.’’

‘’He explained to me,’’ Gamora says, and then falls silent for a moment. Tony thinks back to that day that Thanos took him. He didn’t understand, either, until Thanos explained it to him. Even then, it had taken him years to fully come to accept the necessity of it. ‘’He said we needed balance. That everything does. I just – I don’t want to lose my mother. Do you think she is dead?’’

It doesn’t matter what Tony thinks. The answer is that she can be alive, but she won’t ever see Gamora again either way. On the other hand, he thinks that Thanos ensures to kill the parents of the children he takes. He doesn’t know for sure, and his adoptive dad has never told him, but there seems to be a balance in it. A parent for a child. A child for a parent. 

Maybe he’s just overthinking it. 

‘’I don’t know,’’ he says truthfully. ‘’It doesn’t matter, Gamora. You’ll find a family here. With Thanos, and with me, and with all your new brothers and sisters. We’re all here for the same thing; balance. And now, you’ll learn to contribute to that. It may be hard, sometimes, but we’re all here for a reason.’’

‘’I’ve never had a sibling,’’ Gamora says, but there’s still something in her eyes that worries Tony. She’s taking it too well, really, and that could work out either way.

Tony hugs her, because she probably won’t be hugged again in a very long time. Gamora draws in a sharp breath and then hugs him back, her tiny hands resting on Tony’s back as he lifts her up, pressing her tightly against him.

‘’I’m your brother now,’’ he says softly.

~*~

‘’Do you think your parents still live?’’ Tony asks. He doesn’t know why; it’s been on his mind ever since Gamora asked for hers, but he should know that this is not something to discuss with Ebony. Still, Ebony probably knows him best out of all his siblings.

Ebony doesn’t make the snide comment that Tony had expected, but he still gives Tony an odd look. ‘’We only have one father. Thanos. Are you going insane?’’

Tony sighs. ‘’I meant your biological parents. Do you think they’re still alive? Where are you even from?’’

He doesn’t expect the silence. Ebony Maw is many things, but he always knows what to say. He’s not unlike Tony, in that aspect. Tony just waits. ‘’I don’t remember them,’’ Ebony then says. ‘’I only remember Father. He saved me, and then he adopted me. That’s all I know.’’

Maybe that’s why Ebony tries so hard to impress Thanos, Tony reflects. It’s all he knows how to do – repay, and repay, and repay, all over again.

‘’I think mine are dead,’’ Tony says. 

Ebony shrugs. ‘’Why do you care?’’

Tony thinks about that question longer than he should have, probably. He doesn’t know the answer.

~*~

When they arrive, it’s Tony who introduces Gamora to Nebula. The other siblings are interested in her, too, but only for a few minutes; meeting the competition, maybe. It’s always been like that, but in this case, it’s clear that Gamora is going to be pitted against Nebula.

Tony doesn’t want to think about the fact that it’s only Gamora and Nebula who don’t know that. They get on like a house on fire, calling each other sisters within hours. Gamora seems to forget her silent, distant grief, and Nebula seems to be glad to have found a new friend.

For a few hours, Tony can forget that they just slaughtered half a planet, and focus on two little girls on a dark rock, playing hide and seek. For just a few hours, he can live for that.

But after those hours, of course, it’s over.

~*~

‘’Ebony and Anthony,’’ Thanos says, and it’s almost rhythmic. 

Tony stands opposite Ebony, feeling the weight of his guns in his hand. They’re freshly made, but there’s not much that Tony can fabricate that can withstand Ebony’s telekinesis. It’s technology versus magic, which might be a fairer fight than one would expect, but Ebony is much older than Tony, and has way more experience. Tony is more agile, and cleverer. Still, Tony has to do some real work if he wants to defeat Ebony, who was trained as one of Thanos’ heavy hitters. Tony may have learnt to be an assassin, but he’s mainly their mechanic, and that’s his value.

He can feel Ebony weighing him mentally, and Tony makes the first move. 

He shoots forward, using his electric gun to shoot a pulse that catches Ebony, who is yet unprepared for Tony’s sudden movement. It should be enough to hold him for a few seconds, and Tony runs towards him, shooting him once again, but now setting his gun to a painful stun. Ebony falls backwards on the rocks, shouting as he tries to break free.

Tony has to hurry, because if Ebony breaks free, this fight might as well be over. Running over to his supine brother, Tony sets his gun to the deadliest option there is, but just as he goes to hold it against Ebony’s head, Ebony breaks free with a loud yell, pushing Tony back. 

He falls on his back, cursing inwardly as his brother stands up, raising his hands. Immediately, Tony covers his face with his arms. At least he has a bit of armour, so that the stones that are being rained down upon him don’t do too much harm.

Still, it doesn’t take long for the stones to come with such speed and strength that it’s nearly impossible for Tony to get up. He groans as one hits his face, and feels the blood drip down his face. With one swift movement, he rolls away, feeling the stones hit his vulnerable body for a few moments, but free at last.

He shoots Ebony immediately, who yells in frustration as Tony scrambles up. His vision is hazy, but he’s been in worse fights under Thanos, so he doesn’t pay attention to any of his injuries and jumps at Ebony, bringing them both to the ground. 

The result is that Tony holds his gun to Ebony’s head, at the same time that Ebony holds his hands to Tony’s belly, probably thinking of the best way to let him implode. Tony grimaces, but doesn’t move his gun as he pants. Ebony just gives him a dirty look.

‘’A draw,’’ Thanos decides, sounding faintly amused. ‘’Victory at the price of your own death. Can we call that victory, Gamora?’’

Gamora and Nebula are standing beside Thanos, having watched the whole thing. Gamora’s eyes are big, focused on Tony, but she slowly turns to Thanos. ‘’It’s still victory, isn’t it?’’ she says.

‘’You are correct, little one,’’ Thanos says, and he sounds fond. Tony wouldn’t be surprised if Gamora rises to be one of his favourites; Thanos always has a few. ‘’It is victory, but it’s not what we strive for. I mean to teach all of my children to win without losing their lives. Anthony, Ebony, rise. I have an assignment for both of you.’’

Tony stands up, wincing but walking to his adoptive father anyway. Ebony, beside him, does the same. ‘’Tell us what you would have us do, Father,’’ Ebony says.

Thanos smiles. ‘’I have heard a few rumours about one of the Infinity Stones. The Mind Stone, in particular. However, the precise location remains unknown. Ebony, I would like you to go to Easik, to see if you can find more information. A source of mine tells me that it could be one of the hiding places of the Stone. Anthony, you must go to Harokin for the same reason.’’

Tony starts. ‘’Isn’t Harokin in some sort of war, at the moment?’’ he asks.

‘’Yes. I have been informed that the war may be over the Mind Stone. However, it is likely that the Asgardians will interfere soon. I do not want to draw Odin’s attention, so make sure you stay under the radar. Tend to your injuries, and then leave.’’

Tony bows his head silently. It’s time for a mission.

~*~

‘’I don’t want you to go, brother,’’ Nebula says. Her dark eyes regard him silently, and Tony sighs. She still has much to learn, if she ever wants to fit into Thanos’ family.

Still, he draws her in for a short hug, before he continues packing his bag. ‘’Thanos demands it,’’ he says, ‘’and you know what that means. Besides, you have a sister now. You like each other, don’t you?’’

‘’She’s not you,’’ Nebula says, and Tony smiles.

‘’No, she’s not. She’s her own person, and she needs you. You are sisters, and that means that you have to be there for her, and she for you. When I come back, Thanos will have started training you. And soon, you’ll go on your own missions.’’

Nebula stays silent, maybe hearing in Tony’s voice that missions aren’t maybe all as great as he makes them out to be. Tony knows how to lie, he learnt that even before Thanos took him, but a child’s perception can be sharper than that of anyone else. 

‘’I’ll come back,’’ Tony promises. ‘’Promise me you’ll take care of Gamora.’’

‘’I promise,’’ Nebula says.

~*~

Tony leaves for Harokin only minutes after.


	3. The Injury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very long chapter ahead. I didn't know it would become 8k, but I think that chapter 4 and 5 will be approximately the same length.
> 
> Warning: violence & blood.

_Harokin, 1989_

The fight on Harokin isn’t so much a scuffle as a full-fledged war. Tony knows there’s been conflict, on and around the planet, but he did not know it was so bad.

Tony arrives in his ship, landing just outside a small settlement. The majority of Harokin is inhabitable, full of caves that get too cold in the night and too hot during the day, so there’s only a few settlements. 

At least, there were – Tony isn’t so sure what is left of the villages, but the one he is heading to now seems to be still relatively standing. He shuts down his ship, activating stealth mode so it becomes invisible. Taking a last look at the place – it wouldn’t be the first time he lost a ship this way – he turns, starting to walk, a bag slung over his shoulder. He doesn’t want to look like a threat. He’s earned a nickname in the galaxy, for his weapons, but most people don’t know his face – not on the border of Asgardian territory, at least. All they know is that Thanos’ son is the Merchant of Death, and you don’t want to get close to one of his bombs.

He walks for over twenty minutes before he reaches the first house. There’s people walking outside, humanoid aliens, only their red eyes setting them apart. ‘’Boy, what business do you have here?’’ one of them asks, warily approaching him. She’s an elder lady, but there’s a gun at her side, and she doesn’t seem like the type who will hesitate to use it.

Tony smiles, trying to look as unintimidating as possible. He knows he doesn’t appear very dangerous – most humanoids aren’t, in comparison to other species, except for maybe the Asgardians. Besides, his youthful face and big eyes aren’t exactly features one would expect on an assassin, or a child of Thanos. Tony looks like innocence itself – he’s small, and slender, and his dark mop of hair doesn’t seem to cooperate on even his bad days, but he knows what he really is. He is Thanos’ son, the Merchant of Death, and he’s seen more than most beings have, even at his young age.

Besides, he’s not as vulnerable as he looks. Thanos has given him enough potions so that Tony is easily more durable than a normal human. He remembers the taste of them, the burning feeling they created in his entire body, he remembers his screams as Thanos forced them down his throat. At least it worked.

Tony shudders inwardly, making sure to keep the smile on his face. ‘’Hi,’’ he says brightly. ‘’I had a little accident with my ship. I was travelling, you see, but I ran out of fuel and had to make a crash landing a few miles back. I think I can fix her, but is there a place I can stay for a while? A room I can rent, maybe? I have some money, but it’s not much.’’

The woman’s face softens, as she walks towards him. ‘’Of course, of course, I have a spare room for you,’’ she says. ‘’But this is not a safe place, boy. There’s a war going on here, you know.’’

He walks with her, flashing her a quick smile. ‘’Thanks. Um, yeah, I did hear of that, actually, but it looks a lot worse than I thought it was. You could see it from the atmosphere, but I didn’t have much of a choice. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s this war for, anyway?’’

She leads him into her home, a small house that’s mainly covered in dark red plants. It’s cosy, and Tony feels more at home than he does at Thanos’.

‘’My name is Haran, by the way,’’ the woman says, ‘’and don’t worry about the costs. You can stay here as long as you need, though you shouldn’t stay too long, probably. Our warriors have left the village to fight. Something powerful has been found, I don’t know what, but there’s been a lot of fuss about it, and the Kree Empire is trying to take it.’’

‘’Why don’t more people know about that?’’ Tony asks, dumbfounded. The Kree Empire is very powerful and dangerous, and he’d think that their involvement would be more known.

Haran shrugs. ‘’There’s not much communication towards the outside world. Here, there’s your room, boy. Have you eaten anything yet?’’

‘’I’m Tony,’’ he says. ‘’And that’s very kind of you, but I’ll be fine. No need to worry about me.’’

Haran smiles at him. ‘’I’ve got a grandson just a bit older than you fighting off the Kree for an object we don’t know the function of, and two daughters and a son-in-law trying to protect him. My entire family is on the way to death, and I’m here sitting like an old lady, needing protection. Let me take care of someone else, now.’’

Tony doesn’t say anything, just nods as Haran goes to get him some food.

~*~

The planet cools quickly, in the evening. Haran’s house provides safe shelter, and she gives Tony more blankets than he knows what to do with. He’s baffled by the kindness she shows him; he’d only tried to get a place to sleep, but she is taking care of him. 

‘’Are you travelling to your family?’’ Haran asks softly, as Tony is blowing on the hot drink she handed him. He has no idea what it is, but it smells amazing.

He looks up at her. ‘’Away from them, actually,’’ he says, and doesn’t know why he says it. It’d be much easier to say that yes, he’s going back home. Thing is, he doesn’t know if he can make the lie convincing. He isn’t really going anywhere. He’s here for Thanos, and then he’ll return to do the next thing. To help his family, and thus help the galaxy.

He misses Nebula. He wonders how Gamora is doing.

‘’Tough home?’’ she asks. ‘’I know that look, darling. You don’t have to tell me.’’

‘’I was adopted when I was very young,’’ Tony admits. ‘’My father – I’m not sure why he adopted me. But it wasn’t – I’m grateful, I am. He taught me so much stuff, but it’s – I don’t know how to explain it.’’

‘’Parenting is the hardest job in the world,’’ Haran says, sipping of her own drink. ‘’Not everyone is suited to it. He may have taught you much, but that does not mean he is a good father, Tony.’’

Tony shrugs. ‘’I have two little sisters. He adopted them recently, and they’re – if anything, they’re my family, I guess. I have a brother who’s more of a bully, and other siblings. It’s a big family, or at least, my father calls us family. I’m not so sure, sometimes.’’

Haran smiles. ‘’I used to have a brother. We couldn’t stand each other – and then he died. Family is family, Tony. It’s hard work and you’ll but heads often enough, but if you’re truly a family, that’s all worth it in the end.’’

_Maybe_ , Tony wants to say. _Maybe if Thanos actually cared about us as much as his idealism. Maybe then, we’d be a family._

But it’d be bitter of him to say it. He knows Thanos’ intentions are true. Tony can’t argue with his logic, and indeed, he doesn’t.

He still looks away from Haran’s eyes.

~*~

He wakes up when he hears people screaming in desperation. For a second, he remembers the massacre on Earth, years ago, and he sits up immediately, his hand going to his bag, filled with all his weapons.

Haran barges into the room, panic and determination both clear on her face. ‘’We have to leave, now! Come, come!’’

Tony takes his bag and runs with her, steadying her when she nearly falls. ‘’What’s happening?’’ he asks, but he hears the bombs dropping. What he doesn’t know, is why.

‘’The Kree are attacking our village,’’ Haran says, out of breath, ‘’because the Asgardians are fighting them! Odin’s helping us!’’

The Asgardians have arrived earlier than Tony expected, and he curses inwardly. If this becomes a three-way conflict, it’s going to be harder to find this potential Infinity Stone. It could prove useful, though – the Asgardian army is one of the strongest there is, and maybe they won’t go after the Stone. 

He’ll first have to survive, though. All villagers are running into the same direction, away from the bombs. Tony goes along with them, until Haran stops him. ‘’We can’t go that way,’’ she says. ‘’It leads to a lake. There’s nowhere to go from here. We’re trapped.’’

Tony looks around him. People are still running by, but Haran has a hopeless look in her eyes that Tony can’t stand. ‘’We just have to survive until the Asgardians come,’’ he says. ‘’I – I can help with that. I’ve got some weapons. I can fight them off, for a while.’’

Haran looks at him intently. ‘’You’re sure?’’ she asks.

‘’Yes,’’ Tony says resolutely, and she nods.

‘’Then give me one of those weapons,’’ she says, and Tony doesn’t dare to refuse her.

~*~

Haran had not commented on the weapons Tony had pulled out, but he can feel her confusion. They’re very good weapons, after all, made by Tony himself. It’s probably not what she expected, but it’s not like he has anything else on him now.

He can’t do much about the ships dropping bombs – not until he wants to get his big guns, and he think that’d be a bit too suspicious – but he can shoot the Kree warriors coming at them from the ground.

It’s a good move, attacking the village, he has to give the Kree that. If the Asgardians have come to assist, they’ll probably protect the villagers before the warriors, because that’s just how they are. So if the Kree don’t want to face the Asgardians on the battlefield, they’ll force them to protect the innocents first. It makes sense. It’s just that it doesn’t exactly fit Tony’s plans.

‘’Tony!’’ Haran yells, and Tony ducks in instinct and kicks behind at the warrior who’d come at him from behind. The Kree yells, and pulls Tony down.

Tony’s an assassin, and a mechanic. He has one of the sharpest minds in the galaxy, and he’s been raised by the Mad Titan. He’s not going to be bested by a single Kree warrior. He kicks the warrior in his face, blinding him before shooting him in the head coldly. Another warrior is coming at him, drawn in by Tony’s vulnerable position, but Tony kicks him down before anything can happen and jumps on top of the soldier, not hesitating to shoot him.

They’re outnumbered, though, and heavily outgunned. He hears Haran yell and go down, but Tony is too busy keeping off the Kree warriors off himself to do anything about it. He feels a grim determination set in his chest, wondering if he’ll even be able to get out of this oncoming assault, when he sees the sky light up.

A hammer flies past him, and Tony looks on in wonder as the Kree fall around him. Three Asgardians appear before his eyes. One’s a big guy with a fierce look on his face and hair to die for, and it seems the magic hammer belongs to him. The other has equally long hair, but it’s pitch black, his face pale and regal. The third is a woman, her long dark hair in a ponytail, and she seems to enjoy stabbing the Kree a little too much. Not that Tony’s complaining.

Tony helps Haran up, and then continues shooting at the Kree. With the help of the Asgardians, they’re dead or fleeing within minutes.

‘’Greetings,’’ the buff blond guy says, holding his hammer tightly. ‘’I am Thor Odinson, prince of Asgard, and this is my brother, Loki, and our friend, the Lady Sif. Are you citizens of Harokin?’’

‘’I’m just a visitor passing by at the wrong time,’’ Tony says. ‘’I’m Tony, this is Haran. Thanks for the help. We could really use it.’’

Thor smiles. ‘’You seemed to be doing fine on your own, Tony.’’

‘’Impressive weapons,’’ Loki drawls, nodding with his head to the gun Tony’s holding. 

Tony shrugs. ‘’You never know what scum you encounter in the galaxy.’’

‘’Very true, indeed,’’ Thor agrees. ‘’You seem like a warrior. Would you enjoy fighting with my friends to finish the Battle of Harokin? My people are fighting the Kree somewhere else. We could always use a warrior like you in our ranks.’’

Tony raises his eyebrows. Going with the Asgardians might be useful. He’d get a lot closer to the possible Stone, and he has some allies that will have his back. ‘’Yeah. Yeah, I’d like to come with you.’’

The girl, Sif, glares at him. ‘’This is not a game, child,’’ she sneers. ‘’Thor, we cannot watch over him.’’

‘’He seems a capable warrior,’’ Thor says. ‘’If he wants to come, he will come.’’

‘’If he’s going, then I’m going,’’ Haran says stubbornly, and Tony turns to her.

‘’Haran, this isn’t –‘’

‘’Don’t,’’ she warns him. ‘’My village is destroyed and my family is fighting that battle, too. I will do as I must, so it’s easier for you to let me come.’’

Loki sighs. ‘’This is going to be _fun_ , brother.’’

~*~

Fighting with the Asgardians – well, it’s more enjoyable than Tony ever thought fighting would be. All his life, Thanos has taught him that fighting is serious, that he needs to win, that the price of losing would be pain. So Tony fights seriously, and he wins, and he tries to always do what Thanos asks of him. 

But Thor laughs loudly while he strikes down the Kree warriors with his hammer, and Loki has a mischievous grin on his face as he stabs down the soldiers, first confusing them with his magic. Sif is more serious, but even she has a smile on her face as Thor lights the life out of some Kree. 

All in all, Tony is having the time of his life, though he makes sure to keep an eye on Haran. She is doing fine, however; her ferocity doesn’t seem affected by her age. Besides, with the Asgardians on the side of the natives of Harokin, the Kree are severely outnumbered. The battle that has been raging for weeks is coming to a close very quickly, and Tony understands why he should have gotten to the Stone before the Asgardians came. Searching while everyone is distracted by the battle is much easier than what he’ll have to try now.

Then again, why are the Asgardians already here? Tony had thought he still had a week. Asgard interferes often enough, if there are realms under their protection at war, but never this quickly.

He’ll have to pick Thor’s brain later, Tony decides. For now, he’s helping them win this, fighting relentlessly.

~*~

It has been at least half a day, Tony thinks. He’s so tired he can hardly stand upright, but there’s something satisfactory about having won from the Kree. There’s still some left, but most are either dead or have fled, and the battle is won. The sun is high in the sky, and he has to blink as Thor turns to him, his armour still reflecting the sunlight even if it’s covered in dirt.

‘’It was a glorious battle,’’ Thor says to him, and Tony smiles.

‘’Yeah, it was. Hey, can I ask you a question?’’

Thor nods. ‘’Of course! You are a shield brother, now.’’

A shield brother. If only his own family worked that way. ‘’So, what’s the deal, here? Why are you coming to help Harokin? Why so soon, anyway? I thought Asgard only intervened at, you know, the very last moment.’’

Thor shrugs. ‘’This conflict is Asgard’s fault. They fight over one of our relics – The Warlock’s Eye, its name is. Quite a powerful weapon, one that was stolen from our vault and ended up here. The Kree desire it, and I can only imagine that Harokin wanted to use it for itself, too. It’s coming back with us to Asgard, however.’’

The Warlock’s Eye – Tony has heard of it before. Thor’s right, it’s powerful, but it’s not powerful enough to be an Infinity Stone. Tony curses inwardly, but doesn’t let it show on the outside. All this, for nothing. The Asgardians have probably already found it by now, and if it really was an Infinity Stone, Tony would have offered to come along to Asgard to try and steal it. But it’s not, so this entire trip was for nothing.

It was all for nothing.

‘’Are you alright, Tony?’’ Thor asks. Loki joins him, looking at Tony thoughtfully.

‘’Yeah, yeah, sure,’’ he says easily. ‘’Great battle. Let me know when the next one is. Have a good trip back to Asgard, keep that Eye safe, all that stuff. See you around.’’

He walks away before Thor and Loki can say anything back. He actually likes them, Tony thinks, and he can’t make friends on missions. Even failed missions. He sees Hara from the corner of his eyes, sitting on the ground.

For a moment, Tony wants to walk on. Go to his ship, fly back to Thanos. But the look in her eyes – she’s not looking at anything. She’s just sitting there, among the corpses of Asgardians and Kree alike, still one of Tony’s guns in her hands.

Tony walks to her, crouching beside her. ‘’Hara,’’ he says. ‘’Are you alright?’’

She closes her eyes, nodding silently, before opening them again. Tears glisten in her eyes. ‘’Will you come to the caves with me?’’ she asks. ‘’They – I heard they buried the bodies there. A soldier told me that – they didn’t… none of them.’’

Her family. Her family that had been fighting the Kree for days. Tony feels sorry for her. ‘’I’ll come with you,’’ he says softly. It’s the least thing he can do. There’s enough time to return to Thanos, after. It’s not like he is in a hurry. He watches the Bifrost take the Asgardians away, and walks away with Haran by his side.

~*~

The caves are chilly, and Tony shivers as he looks around. It had taken them some time to find the right ones, considering the place is full of all sorts of caves, but the graves were really clear once they found them. Mass graves, as Tony imagines they didn’t have time to bury all of them separately – but still. Only days of fighting, and many losses. Haran’s entire family.

Tony rests his hand on her shoulder as she sits in front of it. ‘’They’re safe now,’’ she says softly.

He doesn’t know what to tell her, but the noise of an aircraft above them makes sure he doesn’t have to. He walks out of the cave, looking up. It’s a Kree ship – Tony’s heart constricts, as he hears the first bomb fall.

‘’Haran!’’ he yells, trying to run back into the cave. ‘’Haran, come, we have to –‘’

Then the bomb drops right before him. In an instant, Tony recognizes it as one of his own, that Thanos had made him make. He tries to turn, but it explodes, and Tony falls to the ground, feeling his chest burn with pain. He coughs, grasping at the wound, removing his clothing. It’s bleeding. Tony gasps loudly, trying to press on it, but he’s losing his grip as the world swims before his eyes.

Killed by his own weapons. Tony wants to laugh at the irony, but instead closes his eyes.

~*~

The world is hazy. Tony can hear voices, but he’s too distracted by the agony coming from his chest to focus on it properly. He screams, and someone puts something over his mouth, and then he can’t _breathe_. He only hears murmurs, and he thinks he hears his name, and he thinks he hears Thanos’ name. He can’t think, he can’t focus, all he can do is feel.

Until he passes out, again.

~*~

Tony wakes up, and that is a surprise all by itself. Someone is wetting his face with something, and he weakly pushes at the arm.

‘’Tony?’’ a vaguely familiar voice says. It sounds worried, and Tony tries to open his eyes. People aren’t generally worried about him, and the fact that one seems to be now is slightly upsetting.

His eyes flutter open, and everything comes back to him.

He gasps, reaching for the wound on his chest, but it’s covered in bandages. Haran is hovering above him, a look in her eyes Tony hasn’t seen before. ‘’What?’’ he can only ask, ripping the bandages from his chest. Something’s there, he can feel it, what have they _done_?

Tony can’t understand. He knows what’s sitting in his chest, but he doesn’t know why. He can only stare, terrified at it. ‘’Tony,’’ Haran cuts in, covering his hands with her own. ‘’It’s there to save your life. You would have died without it. They – the Kree, they tried to kill us, but one of them figured out who you are. There’s shrapnel in your chest, and we can’t get it out, so the device keeps it from entering your heart.’’

‘’Who I am?’’ Tony repeats with a sore throat.

Haran gives him a look. ‘’The Merchant of Death. The son of the Mad Titan. The Kree, one of them recognized the weapons. You don’t have to lie to me, Tony.’’

‘’Yes,’’ he croaks. 

Haran nods, only once, and then turns away.

Tony falls back into a restless sleep.

~*~

_‘’Tony.’’ He looks around, staring at his father. Howard is in one of his better moods – he even offers Tony a smile as he takes his hand. ‘’Come, I want to show you something.’’_

_Tony isn’t allowed into his dad’s lab. He can only be there when Howard wants him to be there, and that’s not often the case. He likes being there, more than anywhere, but they won’t let him. So he lets his father lead him toward the car, and Howard shows him how the engine works. Together, they work on it for a few hours, and Tony doesn’t often get to see this side of his father._

_‘’What are you looking at, Tony?’’ Howard asks him, when they’re done with the engine, and Tony is looking at blueprints. They’re all interesting, but this one strikes him the most. It’s not a weapon, but something else entirely. A huge machine, to create energy. Tony stares at it, because he can only imagine that a device like this would be beautiful._

_Howard sits down next to him, looking at the blueprint. ‘’That’s the arc reactor, Tony. Do you like that one?’’_

_‘’Are you going to build it?’’ Tony asks. ‘’Can I help?’’_

_Howard smiles. ‘’We can’t build it, yet, Tony. It’s not cost-effective. Maybe it will be, someday.’’_

_‘’Can I help then, dad?’’_

_Howard puts his hand on his son’s hair and ruffles. ‘’Maybe I’ll be the one to help you, kid.’’_

_He leaves Tony there to stare at the blueprints a bit more. Tony’s eyes focus on it, the numbers running through his mind. He’s young, but numbers are the one thing he knows best, and there’s something here that does not add up. There’s something that needs to be tweaked, but he can’t figure it out._

_‘’Tony!’’ Howard says. ‘’Come here, I need small hands for this.’’_

_Tony runs to his father, and forgets about the arc reactor altogether._

~*~

‘’Merchant of Death,’’ one of the Kree says. He’s obviously the leader. His eyes are darker than the others’, which is how Tony recognizes him. His clothes are a bit more fancy, too, but the caves make all of them look like hobos. Tony’s dressed in tatters, but there’s nothing he can do about that. At least it keeps him warm during the cool nights in the cave. ‘’You will build us your weapons.’’

‘’Will I?’’ Tony says easily. ‘’What do I get for that?’’

The Kree hits him, and Tony tastes blood in his mouth. He’s dizzy, but only because he’s still recovering from his surgery. A surgery without any medication, and Tony vaguely remembers waking up in the middle of it. His chest still hurts like hell, but at least he’s not on the verge of dying, thanks to the combined effort of the Kree and Haran, who Tony suspects to be a lot smarter than she lets on.

‘’You get your life,’’ he says. ‘’Your life, and hers. If you build us weapons that will allow us to rule over our sector, we will let you live.’’

Tony doesn’t believe it for one second. ‘’You already have my weapons,’’ he says lightly. ‘’You almost killed me with them, remember?’’

The Kree takes him by his chin, forces to look him in the eye. Tony stays still. ‘’You know we have bought those weapons for a lot of money,’’ the Kree says softly. ‘’Your father won’t come to save you, little one. The Mad Titan doesn’t care about his children that much. But if you make us those weapons now, out of the goodness of your heart, we will let you go.’’

‘’And you think he will let you get away with that?’’ Tony asks stubbornly, and spits in the Kree’s face. ‘’My answer is no.’’

The Kree’s face doesn’t change expression as he removes the spit from his face, but he throws Tony in the arms of a few other warriors. ‘’We will change your mind,’’ he vows.

~*~

Tony can’t breathe. He can’t _breathe_ and he’s no stranger to pain, but he can’t remember ever hurting this much. His head is underwater and he’s struggling, because he needs the air, but he can’t get free.

Just as he starts to lose consciousness, they pull him out, and he gasps. His lungs are burning, and his chest is on fire. He’s pretty sure his lungs are inflamed, and he probably has pneumonia, but they won’t stop.

Dar-Ak, the leader of the Kree, watches passively. ‘’Please,’’ Tony shouts, but they don’t listen, putting his head under again. He is gasping in the water, feeling it enter his lungs against his will, and he’s drowning, he’s going to _drown_ –

And then he’s out, once more. Tony coughs out both blood and water, immediately grasping at his chest, wheezing painfully. 

‘’Let me show you something,’’ Dar-Ak says, and the warriors almost pick up Tony before he can even attempt to get to his feet, pulling him with them as he desperately holds on to his battery. 

They leave the cave, and apparently it’s day, because the sun blinds Tony’s eyes. He uses one hand to shield his eyes, the other still holding the battery protectively. He’s hurting and he’s exhausted, but he’s not going to give in. Never.

They have his weapons. They have enough to wipe out a village, if they want. Tony knows his stuff is expensive. He had not known who Thanos sold it to, but he should have known better than to expect it was to people who would have good intentions. He should have known better than to not ask, but who is he to stand up against his father?

‘’Build us our weapons,’’ Dar-Ak calmly tells Tony. ‘’Then we will let you live.’’

_No, you won’t_ , Tony thinks, but he smiles grimly and takes the Kree’s hand.

~*~

‘’The Kree have their own ideas about justice,’’ Haran says, as she watches Tony work.

Tony grunts. ‘’They’re murderers, thieves and liars,’’ he says as he disassembles the first bomb. Carefully, he takes what he needs from it, and then carelessly drops it to the ground.

‘’How different is that from you?’’ Haran shoots, and she’s more vicious than he has ever heard her. He looks up. She stands with her arms cross, and the look on her face reminds Tony of his aunt Peggy, for just a second. ‘’You’re the son of a mass murderer, making weapons for his gain.’’

‘’My father has a philosophy behind it,’’ Tony says stubbornly. ‘’Death to save life. Kill half to save half. The numbers add up.’’

‘’If you honestly believe that, you should have died in that explosion,’’ Haran says, and then her voice becomes soft. ‘’I don’t think you believe that, Tony. The boy you have shown me under that exterior has proven it. You’re not some mass murderer. You’re not going to spend your life obeying someone who wants to kill so many, are you? Is that what your life is going to be? Killing, for some perceived greater good?’’

‘’If we don’t, everyone will eventually die,’’ Tony says eventually. ‘’Everything is finite. A species set on endless growth is unsustainable.’’

‘’You’re too young to realize it, maybe,’’ Haran sits down, and gestures for Tony to sit beside her. He does, and she looks him straight in the eyes. ‘’This is not an easy truth, Tony, but I’ll tell you anyway. You have the potential to destroy or create the galaxy. You’re saying that the numbers add up. Why do you think that?’’

‘’Everyone will die, if we don’t,’’ Tony murmurs.

‘’No,’’ Haran says forcefully. ‘’They won’t. Even if it did happen – that’s not for us to interfere. Life must run its course, Tony. Life is what we must value above all life. And taking that life prematurely will _never_ equate to saving it. I don’t know what the Mad Titan has told you. I don’t know how long you’ve been at his side. But do you honestly believe that killing is the option? Do you?’’

‘’I don’t know!’’ Tony yells. ‘’All I know is numbers, okay? That’s all I’ve ever known! I don’t _want_ people to die, but I can’t… we can’t let everyone else die in the process! Because if we don’t save them, that’ll be our fault! I can _save_ them.’’

Haran is silent for a second, and Tony tries to breathe. It’s still hard. ‘’You must follow your heart,’’ she says. ‘’Do you feel killing these people is the right thing to do? Is it going to save people, or is it going to rip them apart?’’

Tony doesn’t want to think about it. He doesn’t want to kill anyone, but does he have a choice if it’s half the universe on the line? _Yes_ , he tells himself. There’s always a choice. And he’s obviously at some kind of crossroads.

Tony closes his eyes for a second to regain his focus, and then takes the next bomb. If he wants to finish before tomorrow, he still has a lot of building to do. Haran, next to him, casually takes one of them too. Tony looks at her mildly surprised, but she gives him a soft look. ‘’I’m not going to abandon you for having been lied to your whole life, kid,’’ she says. ‘’For better or worse, I think the galaxy may yet need you.’’

Tony nods, not trusting himself to answer comprehensibly. ‘’This is what I need,’’ he starts.

~*~

‘’What did you call it, again?’’ Haran asks, looking at the light in amazement. 

‘’It’s a miniaturized arc reactor,’’ Tony explains. ‘’My father – my biological father, I mean – he showed me the blueprints for a bigger one, when I was little. I don’t know, it must’ve slipped back into my mind.’’

‘’That could power your heart for fifty lifetimes.’’ She is still regarding it, the blue light reflecting on her face. Tony smiles. It seems that even now, twelve years after they’ve been separated, that one afternoon with Howard still bears its fruits.

‘’Or something big for fifteen minutes,’’ he says grimly, and shows her the plans.

~*~

He wakes up gasping, covering his arc reactor. Slowly, he spreads his fingers, watching the blue light appear from between the digits, before removing his hand completely.

Haran is sleeping beside him, her hair covering most of her face. It doesn’t seem to bother her sleep, and Tony takes in a shuddering breath, trying to calm himself.

The nightmares won’t stop, and Tony wonders if his life is going to be like this, forever.

~*~

They work in secret. Most days, he and Haran don’t talk much apart from the necessities. Everything they needed to say has been said, and Tony has a hard time getting Haran’s words out of his mind. Even if he gets out of here, he’s not sure what to do. Thanos has been selling his weapons to dangerous parties. Besides, Tony can’t stop thinking about the killings.

If he’s felt so wrong about it, whole his life, how can it be right? Should he be listening to his heart, instead of the facts? But how can he do that?

How can he betray the only constant he’s known, the numbers?

Dar-Ak watches them, sometimes, but Tony has convinced him that he needs Haran. In that, he has probably saved her life. It seems like that’s all they’re achieving, sometimes; pushing back death, for both of them. Tony doesn’t know for sure that his plan will get them out of here, but he can’t give up. He can’t let this be how he goes out, and he can’t let the Kree win this round. 

So Tony builds parts of guns, and when they’re not watched, he builds the suit with Haran. 

‘’It’s a marvellous invention,’’ Haran comments one day, when Tony is melting two parts together. It’s not his prettiest work, but it’s all he can do, for now. If he gets access to his usual materials, he could make it lots fancier, and easier to handle, but he has to work with what he has.

‘’And a ticket out of here,’’ Tony agrees, but he feels that she’s going to say more. 

He’s right. She looks at it, brows furrowed. ‘’And you’re going to give it to Thanos, once we’re out of here?’’ Tony stops, and she looks at him. ‘’Look, I know what you said. You told me that the numbers add up, and that’s all you know. Then tell me how many people he could kill with this.’’

‘’This isn’t a weapon,’’ he says feebly. 

Haran smiles. ‘’It is, in the wrong hands,’’ she disagrees. ‘’I just want to tell you that I’ve thought about what you said, about only knowing the numbers. I don’t know what happened to you. I can’t speak for you, but I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think the only thing you know is math, and numbers, and logic. I think that the only thing you’ve ever known is empathy. Love for the world, and its people. You want to save people, and you think that this is the way, because your numbers say so. But does your heart tell you that this is the way?’’

‘’I’m not sure,’’ Tony can only say.

They sit there, in silence, for a long time. He doesn’t have to say anything else.

~*~

‘’When will my weapons be done?’’ Dar-Ak asks, his voice dark. Tony keeps his eyes down, trying to look submissive. He doesn’t want the Kree to know that he’s resisting them. The suit is so close to being finished, all he needs is to reboot its system. It’s hidden away, where he and Haran have always hid it so far. The Kree don’t watch them that closely, and that’s their luck.

‘’Soon,’’ Tony mumbles, but Dar-Ak doesn’t seem to be satisfied with that answer, and slaps Tony in the face. It hurts, and he doesn’t doubt his cheekbone will be bruised later, but Tony doesn’t move.

‘’I thought we’d convinced you enough,’’ Dar-Ak hisses, taking Tony’s face forcefully to look him in the eye. ‘’We can put you in the water again, boy. Do you want to feel the water again?’’

Tony doesn’t mean to, but the idea of being drowned again, feeling the water enter his lungs, it’s enough to make him panic. He tries to control his trembling, but it’s clear that Dar-Ak notices. ‘’Don’t,’’ Tony says, eyes closed.

‘’I thought so,’’ the Kree says, and lets go of Tony’s face. ‘’You have until tomorrow to finish my weapons, Merchant of Death.’’ Then he leaves.

Tony sits down, trying not to panic. A determined feeling settles in his stomach. He gives himself a few seconds to breathe, focusing solely on that feeling. He’s going to make it out. He’s going to survive. And when he does, he’s going to change everything. Everything that ever made him feel like this.

He opens his eyes again, gaze settling on Haran. She has a worried expression on his face, but Tony does not let it stunt his newfound will.

‘’Tomorrow it is,’’ he says quietly.

~*~

‘’Open the door!’’ someone is shouting. Tony is in the suit, but while it’s attached to the arc reactor, it needs to be rebooted. Haran is wildly pressing the keys, but her eyes stray to the door every so often. Tony has planted a bomb, so the first one to enter will also be the first one to die, but after that, the game is on. 

‘’We need more time,’’ Haran says.

‘’Just press the button,’’ Tony urges, ‘’the bomb will distract them, just get it going.’’

Haran is pressing it, but it’s not going fast enough. Tony curses the materials, because this could’ve gone so much faster if he’d worked with the stuff he usually works with. The knocks on the door gets louder, and Tony hears a muffled conversation, and then a short silence.

In a split second, Haran grabs one of the guns off the table that Tony was supposed to be working on. Then the door breaks down, the explosion goes off, and Haran starts shooting.

‘’We need more time!’’ she shouts, looking at the bar. It’s not even at half yet, and Tony knows she’s right.

‘’Stick to the plan!’’ he shouts, because if Haran goes solo, she’s bound to get herself killed.

Haran looks at him for a second, and there’s something in her eyes that Tony doesn’t want to recognize. It’s the same determination that he has, and he knows he can’t talk her out of this. She runs off, shooting wildly and shouting, hopefully scaring them into leaving.

It’s the Kree, so they won’t be scared for long. Tony can only hope that Haran will survive long enough for Tony to come help her and fly them to their freedom. He waits anxiously. The sound of gunshots and shouting reaches his air, but he has no way of knowing whether that’s a good or bad thing.

And then the suit is loaded.

~*~

Tony doesn’t even look at who he’s shooting anymore, as soon as he sees it isn’t Haran. The faceplate covers his face, but he’s sure he’s wearing the deadliest expression he’s even worn. He isn’t feeling anything but loathing for the Kree, and every missile he fires at them feeds something dark in him that he didn’t know existed.

For twelve years, he’s been the son of a mass murderer, and he’s never felt as empty as in this moment.

The Kree go down easily, none of them able to withstand the suit that Tony has created. They shoot him; the bullets don’t reach his skin. They hit him; they aren’t able to make even a dent. Tony fires at them without mercy, but there is no feeling of justice, only a grim satisfaction.

He finds Haran, lying on the ground, at the end of the cave. ‘’Tony,’’ she murmurs. It’s clear she’s wounded, and Tony crouches down next to her, worried.

‘’Hey, don’t give up, it’ll be alright, we’ll get you to your village,’’ he tries to soothe her, but it’s clear that they both know that Haran isn’t going to leave the cave alive.

‘’I’m going to see my family again,’’ she says, a soft smile on her face. Tony can only nod. He can’t save her, anymore. His plan has failed, in many ways. 

He takes her hand, but can’t feel it, as their skin is divided by the cold metal. She still seems to appreciate it, and looks him in the eye for one final time. ‘’Thank you for saving me,’’ Tony tells her, trying not to sound too upset. He’s not sure if it’s working.

‘’Don’t waste your life, Tony,’’ she tells him.

Tony nods, and watches the life leave her.

~*~

Tony doesn’t know if all the Kree are dead. He knows that Dar-Ak is, and that’s all he needs. With Dar-Ak gone, maybe his nightmares will leave, too.

He doesn’t know when he got so good at lying that he can so easily lie to himself.

Tony doesn’t bother returning to the village, nor checking if there’s any Kree out there. He just wants to be by himself, for a while. His entire body is hurting, and he didn’t notice that while he was running on adrenaline, but he’s been flying for a while now, noticing the steady increase of pain. His thrusters are stuttering, but they’re holding out better than Tony thought. The only thing he has to worry about is that he doesn’t use too much of the arc reactor’s power.

His ship is where he left it. Tony leaves his suit, feeling oddly vulnerable without it, and starts laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it. It feels like he landed here in a different world. He wasn’t who he is, now. He’s not sure who he is now.

He doesn’t look back as he drops his suit in the ship and leaves the planet without any hesitation as all.

He might not know who he is, but he knows he doesn’t want to be the Merchant of Death anymore.

~*~

He comes home with bruises and scrapes, an arc reactor embedded in his chest, and a head full of nightmares. Or well, home – Tony isn’t sure what the proper word for it is. 

Thanos is sitting on his throne, staring at Tony without any emotion as Tony gets out of the ship. Maw is sitting next to him, surprise clear on his face. ‘’My son,’’ Thanos says.

‘’Father,’’ Tony says. He left the suit in the ship; he doesn’t want Thanos to see it. The trip has given him enough time to think things over.

‘’We thought you were dead,’’ Ebony says, standing up. He sounds vaguely accusing, but that’s not all there is to it. Tony doesn’t care enough anymore to figure out what that is, though.

He laughs bitterly. ‘’I thought I was, too, for a moment there,’’ he says, walking towards them. ‘’Turns out I’m not. Here I am, without an Infinity Stone. Because guess what, there wasn’t any.’’

‘’I am aware,’’ Thanos says. ‘’The data turned out to be false. For both you and Ebony.’’

‘’But I didn’t disappear for over three months,’’ Ebony adds.

‘’Ebony, leave us,’’ Thanos says, and Tony’s adoptive brother turns his head and leaves without another word. Tony only stares at Thanos passively. ‘’Anthony. What happened?’’

Tony shrugs. ‘’Some Kree caught me and tortured me into making weapons. I refused and killed them. Sorry it took me so long.’’

‘’I could never hold that against you,’’ Thanos says, rising, and he lays a hand on Tony’s head. ‘’I am glad you are safe, my child. But I feel that you have lost something. There’s something in you missing, that previously was there.’’

Tony has never seen Thanos stare at him like he’s a puzzle, before. It’s oddly satisfying.

_I’ve lost the child in me you thought would be there forever_ , he doesn’t say, but he knows they’re both thinking it.

~*~

It’s only when he sees Gamora and Nebula again that Tony starts to feel a bit more like his old self. Gamora comes running at him, a delightful smile on her face. She’s grown, in the months that Tony has been gone, and not only in length. There’s a look in her eyes that tells Tony that she has seen and learnt things that one so young shouldn’t, but Tony ignores it in favour of her laugh as she jumps into his arms. 

‘’Brother!’’ she exclaims. ‘’They said you weren’t going to come back, but I knew you would!’’

‘’You’re very smart,’’ Tony tells her, ruffling her dark hair. No matter what Thanos is teaching her, for now, she’s still a child. It won’t last for very long, but Tony will take it for now. ‘’Where’s Nebula?’’

Gamora’s demeanour shifts immediately. ‘’She doesn’t want to come out,’’ she murmurs. ‘’I tried to convince her, but she’s hiding. Father is displeased.’’

‘’What happened?’’ Tony asks urgently, and stands up. ‘’Where is Nebula?’’

He follows Gamora, as she leads him to Nebula, who is sitting against a rock, hiding her face behind her knees as she sits. It’s clear she’s softly crying, and has been for some time. Tony crouches next to her, and Nebula starts screeching at a deafening volume.

‘’Neb, it’s me,’’ Tony tries. ‘’It’s Tony. I’m home. Hey, darling, tell me what’s wrong. Tell me, so I can fix it.’’

‘’You can’t fix me!’’ Nebula shouts, kicking and hitting Tony without showing her face. It’s surprising how well of a job she does, and Tony winces as she hits his injuries. ‘’ _You can’t fix me!_ ’’

‘’I don’t have to, because you’re not broken,’’ he says, and Nebula stops as quickly as she started and shows her face.

She has a robotic eye. Her entire left eye has been replaced. The teardrops are still clear, but only on her right cheek, because her mechanic eye is staring at Tony intently. ‘’But I am,’’ she says miserably.

‘’No, you’re not,’’ Tony says resolutely. ‘’What happened? Tell me, Nebula. Gamora, can you leave us alone for a while?’’

Gamora nods wordlessly, and Tony embraces his little sister, putting her safely in his lap. It doesn’t matter whose children they are; she is his sister, and she is hurting. ‘’You told me to keep Gamora safe,’’ she whispers. ‘’So I lost battles, and Father punished me. And then I tried to win, because he was hurting me, but I _couldn’t_. And then – he said – he told me that I wasn’t good enough, so he was going to make me better. He was angry, Tony. It hurt so much!’’

Tony should have known better than to hope it wasn’t Thanos. Nebula isn’t the first to receive rough treatment, but he’s never done this to any of his children yet. Tony hugs her tightly as she sobs in his clothes. ‘’It’s going to be alright.’’ Tony hopes he’s not lying. ‘’You’ll see, in the end, everything will be fine, Neb. You’re not broken. It’s not your fault.’’

He’s going to kill Thanos for this, he realizes. For this, and for taking these girls away from their families in the first place. He’s going to kill Thanos for killing half of Earth, and for trying to kill half of the galaxy, and for making him believe that anything he said was true.

He has had his eyes opened, and he knows what he has to do. He has to make sure Thanos won’t ever get the Infinity Stones. 

Haran was right, and Tony presses Nebula closer, thinking about her. 

He can’t bring her, or Gamora. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he doesn’t have any money, or a plan. Thanos will raise them, for better or worse. Tony can’t bear thinking about what their childhood is going to be like, but if Tony made it out relatively intact, then so will they. Thanos won’t allow three of his children disappearing, but one – one he will be able to handle.

Tony wants them to be safe more than anything in the world, but he needs to save the entire universe, and he can’t do that if he brings Gamora and Nebula.

So he sets Nebula on the ground, as she looks up to him. ‘’I will always be your brother,’’ he says. ‘’I need you to remember that, Nebula? Always.’’

‘’I know,’’ she says softly. Tony presses a kiss to her forehead.

‘’I have to go,’’ he says. She doesn’t say he just came back, she doesn’t ask where. Nebula has already lost more of that childlike quality than Gamora has, and Tony mourns its loss.

Thanos turns to face him, as Tony returns to his ship.

They look at each other, in a mutual understanding, for only a few seconds. Thanos knows, probably knew the moment Tony walked out of the ship. Thanos looks at him intently, and it’s Tony who breaks the gaze.

He looks back only once, before Tony starts the ship and leaves again, for good, this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A species set on endless growth is unsustainable_ is a line I took from Muse's _Unsustainable_. I hope you enjoyed! comments, bookmarks and kudos are always greatly appreciated :)


	4. The Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to everyone that commented, left kudos, or bookmarked :) i know i've been lousy at responding to all of them, but i cherish all comments i receive and love reading them!

_Kitson, 2014_

There’s lots of things Tony could have done, after leaving Thanos. He could’ve returned to Earth, started a life of his own. He could’ve gone to any planet, made a name for himself. He could’ve earned lots of money with his inventions – lots of buyers, and he could decide who got his designs and who didn’t.

But he’d left with Haran’s words echoing in his head, words that are still echoing twenty-five years later. _Don’t waste your life_ , she said, and Tony now knows that he has more to offer the world than his weapons. Indeed, he has knowledge; he knows Thanos. He hasn’t seen the Titan for a quarter of a century, and yet, Tony is still driven by the knowledge of what Thanos means to do. 

So Tony has been hunting down his own weapons, which has mostly succeeded, and then turned to finding the Infinity Stones before Thanos could and trying to find them a safe place. 

It took him years upon years and lots of dedication to find them, but then again, Tony has never lacked in dedication. He has a purpose now. It took him some time to figure out there’s at least two Infinity Stones on his home planet – that was something that took him by surprise. He knows the location of the Power Stone and the Reality Stone, too, though he’s still not sure where the Mind and Soul Stones are. There are some rumours going around about their whereabouts that Tony has managed to pick up on. He knows better than to rely completely on hearsay, but no harm in listening for it.

The rumours concern one of the members of some group called The Guardians of the Galaxy, who’ve become a big thing a few months ago. Considering they were the one to find and bring the Power Stone to a safe place before Tony could, he likes to think they’ll be friendly to him, but he has no idea who these people are, so precaution is needed. The rumour is going around that one of the Guardians has some knowledge of the Infinity Stones, too, and particularly the Soul Stone. He’s not sure how much of it is true, seeing as how buried the information was, but since the group already has some experience with Infinity Stones, there’s definitely the possibility that this rumour might turn out to be fact.

Tony has been informed that the Guardians are at planet Kitson at the moment, which Tony doesn’t know what to think about. He’s been to Kitson before, for some information, but it’s mainly known for its brothels. 

He lands his ship, pressing his hand to his arc reactor. His suit has been upgraded immensely, since he first made it in that cave on Harokin. The nano-technology has made it easier to carry around his suit, since it’s basically all in his arc reactor. It’s stronger than ever, and it’s saved Tony from some tight spots. 

He’s barely referred to as the Merchant of Death, anymore. Now, they call him Iron Man.

It’s not a technically correct name, but it’s one Tony prefers. The Merchant of Death left death in his wake; Iron Man saves. Not many know that the disappearance of the Merchant of Death meant the beginning of Iron Man, that they’re the same person, but Tony shrugs that off. He knows how the world works, now, and it may be for the best that people don’t put two and two together.

He parks the ship, and walks down to the planet. It’s buzzing with people; all sorts of races are mixed, beautiful women walking around to convince men to visit their brothels.

Tony shakes his head to himself, locking his spaceship. There’s enough bad folk around to try and steal a ship, and Tony likes to be able to leave. 

He walks to the town, ignoring the women coming his way. They leave soon enough, once they figure out he’s not interested; there are enough other men they can spend their time on, ones that will pay for them. There’s some dark corners with other men who aren’t here for the brothels, and Tony keeps his eye out for one that may be trustworthy. He’s heard the Guardians are quite remarkable, and that he will recognize them once he sees them, but maybe someone can point him in the right direction.

Just as he tries to head over to someone to ask for some information, he hears someone yelling, and shots being fired. Tony activates the suit immediately, blasting off to the source of the brawl. 

‘’I said, get off, you sleazy motherfucker!’’ he hears someone yell, and it looks surprisingly much like a raccoon. Tony tries not to frown as he lands. A huge guy, all muscle, is laying on the ground, moaning in pain, and the raccoon is standing protectively before a small tree, an oversized gun in his hands. It looks hilarious, in some way, but the situation wouldn’t be helped if Tony starts laughing.

‘’I am Groot,’’ the tree says brightly, as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. The way the raccoon handles the gun, maybe it’s nothing extraordinary at all to him.

‘’Damn right, you’re not for sale,’’ the raccoon says to the tree, and Tony lands his suit.

‘’What’s going on here?’’ Tony asks. ‘’Someone bothering you?’’

‘’Not anymore, he isn’t,’’ the raccoon says, and slides his eyes as he takes in Tony. ‘’You’re a robot or something?’’

‘’It’s a suit,’’ Tony answers, amused. The man that was shot moans once again. Suddenly, five others come running out one of the buildings, weapons loaded and aimed at Tony.

It wouldn’t bother Tony much, apart that he recognizes two of them immediately, despite not having seen them in decades. The two women, one with a sizeable gun and the other with two swords, eyes filled with danger, are the two sisters Tony left with Thanos. Gamora and Nebula.

‘’Hey, don’t shoot that guy, I just want his suit!’’ the raccoon says. ‘’Can I get the suit, pal? If we get the suit, we’ll let you live. It’s a promise!’’

Tony ignores him, and flips open his faceplate. Gamora and Nebula’s expressions do not change – maybe he shouldn’t have hoped they would. He’s older now, and it’s been years since they’ve seen each other. Nebula seems to be made more of devices than her actual body by now, and Tony’s heart aches for her, even as she looks at him threateningly.

‘’I take it you are the Guardians of the Galaxy?’’ he says. ‘’I should’ve figured. Gamora and Nebula. Both of you left home? Bold move, but let’s say I’d hoped you would, one day.’’

Gamora and Nebula exchange a glance, and then one of the guys raises his gun and puts on some sort of mask. ‘’Who the hell are you supposed to be?’’ he says. ‘’Never mind. Don’t mess with my family.’’

He starts shooting, and Tony closes his faceplate again quickly, flying up. ‘’Hey, I’m not a threat,’’ he protests.

‘’Yes! A victim!’’ someone else, the guy with the intense eyes and tattoos all over his body, shouts. He sounds way too happy about it. 

‘’Peter, don’t shoot at him!’’ Gamora says. ‘’We don’t even know what he wants yet!’’

It seems Gamora has a lot of influence over the man, because the shots stop immediately, and Tony deems it safe to land again, opening his faceplate again and crossing his arms. ‘’He knows where you’re from, apparently!’’ Peter says heatedly, waving at Tony. ‘’People who know that usually want to shoot at you, Gamora!’’

‘’He’s not shooting, is he?’’ Nebula says easily, taking a step towards Tony. ‘’He’s familiar.’’

‘’Damn right I am,’’ Tony says with a grin. ‘’Gamora, are you dating _that_ guy? I feel like I should give him a stern talking-to, as your big brother. Granted, I haven’t been around for a while, but I hoped you’d at least _remember_ me!’’

‘’Big brother?’’ the guy, Peter, repeats, and turns to Gamora. ‘’Is that this guy?’’

‘’Tony?’’ Gamora says, eyes wide, as she takes a step forward. ‘’I thought you were _dead_. Is that – are you really – is it really you?’’

‘’Tony,’’ Nebula breathes.

‘’In the flesh,’’ Tony confirms. ‘’Or well, the suit. But I swear there’s flesh underneath. I’m so glad you’re still alive. Heck, I’m so glad you’re not with _him_ anymore.’’

‘’Are you a child of Thanos?’’ the raccoon demands.

Tony shrugs. ‘’I used to be. Then I had my eyes opened, and left.’’

‘’We have a lot to talk about,’’ Gamora says. ‘’What are you even doing here?’’

‘’Looking for you, apparently. I needed some information, but I didn’t know it would be coming from you.’’

Gamora huffs. ‘’Well, we were just here for a pit stop, so you can come along with us. There’s just a thing we have to check first. Mantis.’’

The girl with the antennas comes forward, looking at Tony curiously. ‘’Can I take your hand?’’ she asks shyly, and Tony blinks at Gamora and Nebula. Nebula’s face is passive, but Gamora nods, so Tony deactivates his suit and ignores the impressed mutters from the Guardians. He gives her his hand, and Mantis’ eyes go wide.

‘’Love,’’ Mantis says dreamily, ‘’but not romantic. Platonic love, for Gamora and Nebula. Joy, at having found you. Grief, at having lost you. Surprise. Determination. And an undercurrent of fear and anger that has been there for a long time.’'

‘’An empath,’’ Tony realizes. ‘’Smart move.’’ It’s certainly a good way of knowing anyone’s intentions.

Gamora smiles, her first real one since Tony has seen her. It looks good on her; she seems much happier than he’s seen her before, and she’s grown into a beautiful woman. Tony didn’t realize how much he missed her and Nebula before now, and his heart swells with fondness.

‘’More love and joy,’’ Mantis concludes, and Tony withdraws his hand.

‘’Quite enough of that,’’ he says, activating his suit again.

‘’So that’s that? We trust him now?’’ Peter demands.

‘’You heard Mantis,’’ Nebula says. ‘’He’s our brother. He stays.’’

Tony smiles.

~*~

‘’It seems a paradoxical,’’ Tony says, as he’s sitting with Nebula in the Guardian’s spaceship. The others are still outside, so they’re by themselves. ‘’I decided that killing half the universe to save the other half wasn’t a sacrifice we could make, but then I turned around and sacrificed you and Gamora to save the universe.’’

Nebula shrugs. ‘’The greater good,’’ she says.

‘’No,’’ Tony responds immediately. ‘’That’s what Thanos said, too. I don’t _accept_ that reasoning anymore. We save everyone, you hear me? I’m not ready to let anyone die on my watch. That’s our responsibility. We don’t go with that ‘we try to save as many as possible’, we find a way to save everyone. Because if I start accepting any other way, I’ll wind back up with Thanos.’’

‘’There’s a middle way,’’ Nebula says. ‘’I didn’t leave Thanos until this year. I will kill him for what he did to me.’’

‘’Is that why you’re with the Guardians?’’ Tony asks. He’s not sure what their job is, to be honest.

‘’I’m not a Guardian,’’ she says quickly. ‘’Gamora does not want to go after Thanos. After all these years fighting, now she’s running. She’s found a family, here. A real one, and not the pretend one that we grew up with. I was planning on buying a ship here, and then leaving.’’

Tony is silent for a few moments. ‘’Her family is your family,’’ he says eventually. ‘’I think you’re the only one not seeing it that way.’’

Before Nebula can form a response, the Guardians enter the spaceship. Peter Quill is regarding Tony with some leftover suspicion. Gamora enters behind him, a fond look in her eyes. She loves this man, it’s clear as day to Tony, and he can’t help but smile to see it.

‘’I told you they’re not going to blow up your ship,’’ Gamora says.

‘’Well, jury’s still out,’’ Tony says cheekily. ‘’If there’s one thing I own, it’s explosives.’’

‘’Merchant of Death,’’ Nebula adds.

‘’That’s you?’’ Rocket exclaims. ‘’I thought that was a myth! You’re the Merchant of Death?’’

Tony shrugs. ‘’I mainly go by ‘Iron Man’, these days, but yeah. I was. I made weapons for some people that shouldn’t have had them. I was sent to Harokin, decades ago, to find something for Thanos. I got hit by the Kree, seriously injured by my own weapons, and imprisoned for several months to make some more weapons. There was someone else there with me, and she’s the reason I left Thanos. Trying to save lives, instead of taking them.’’

‘’But you’d make some weapons for me?’’ Rocket presses. Tony rolls his eyes.

‘’What have you been up to, since then?’’ Gamora asks. All Guardians look at him expectantly.

‘’Recovered my weapons. Made this suit. Most importantly, I tried to find the Infinity Stones. They’re not easy to find, let me tell you that. I’ve been to the darkest corners of the universe to even find any information at all, until a few months ago, news blew up about the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Power Stone. It’s on Xandar, right? I hope they have the power to keep Thanos off for a while, or destroy the stone, if push comes to shove. So I figured that was all fine, until I went looking into the Soul Stone. Impossible to find. Until I got some rumours that one of the Guardians knew about that one, too. Vague rumours, but more than anything I’d heard so far. So I came to check if that’s true. Gamora?’’

Gamora freezes, staring at Tony. ‘’You’ve been tracking the Infinity Stones?’’ she says, voice steady, but that’s a give-away all in itself.

‘’Figuring it out, so that we can stop Thanos,’’ Tony answers. ‘’We know what he’s capable of. He’s coming, and it’s not going to be long. He’s increased his attacks. He’s rearing up for the end game, Gamora, and if he does, we’re not going to be enough to stop him. We need to stop him from finding any more Infinity Stones. He has the Mind Stone, so that’s one, and the other five are going to come. I know the location of four of those. The only one I don’t know is the Soul Stone. We have to intervene, or we’re going to lose a lot of people.’’

‘’I can’t tell you the location of the Soul Stone,’’ Gamora snaps. ‘’Trust me. It’s hidden very well. I found it, but I burned the map. Thanos has no way of knowing where it is.’’

‘’I trust you,’’ Tony says. ‘’It’s Thanos I don’t trust. Even if he can’t find the Soul Stone, five Infinity Stones can do a lot of damage.’’

‘’Not as much as six, and besides, Thanos doesn’t have the Mind Stone anymore. He handed it to Loki, and tried to invade Terra with it. Loki lost it,’’ Nebula speaks up. Tony raises his eyebrows, turning to her.

‘’Loki?’’ Tony repeats. ‘’The Asgardian? I met him, once. He invaded Earth? Again? Wasn’t the one time enough? When was this?’’

‘’Two years ago,’’ Peter Quill answers for the sisters. ‘’You’re from Earth? You were there, in 1977? Is that what you mean by again?’’

‘’It’s when Thanos took me in the first place,’’ Tony says, but he looks at Peter. ‘’You’re from Earth?’’

‘’I was taken in 1988 by a Ravager,’’ Quill says. 

Tony takes a deep breath. ‘’I haven’t seen any other human since I was seven,’’ he says, and Peter’s look tells Tony that he, too, hasn’t seen anyone else in ages. He has dozens of questions for the kid; what was Earth like? Did they survive? What happened? But all information Peter can give him will be decades old, and Tony can’t do anything with it anyway. It’s only opening up old wounds, and he can’t do this with an audience.

‘’I am Groot,’’ Groot says.

Rocket nods. ‘’Tell us about those other Stones, Merchant. They sound pretty awesome.’’

Tony huffs. ‘’Well, apart from the Soul Stone and Power Stone? There’s four others, and now I know the location of the Mind Stone, too, there’s three of them on Earth at the moment. So that’s probably the reason Thanos invaded again – trying to find those Stones. Mind, Time and Space are on Earth. That’ll make them a huge target.’’

‘’We should go to Earth, then,’’ Drax says loudly.

‘’What?’’ Peter and Tony say at the same time. 

‘’It does make sense,’’ Nebula admits. ‘’If Thanos hits Earth, he could get all three Stones in one try. Three is enough for Thanos to take the others, too, if he couldn’t do it already. Xandar isn’t strong enough to withstand the Mad Titan with three gems.’’

‘’Who says it has to be us who stop him?’’ Peter demands.

Gamora turns to him. ‘’Peter. All my life, Thanos has wanted to find the Infinity Stones and kill half the universe. We can’t let him.’’

‘’What do we care about the universe, anyway?’’ Rocket says. ‘’What’s it ever done for you?’’

‘’We had this discussion already,’’ Peter exclaims. ‘’Rocket, we’re _the idiots who live in it_ , remember?’’

‘’Exactly,’’ Tony butts in. ‘’If Thanos gets the Stones, half the galaxy will be gone. That includes half of you. That’s half the people you know. You don’t get to choose who, that’s his idea of justice. Maybe it’ll even be you who goes. Who’s to say? Thanos can’t be allowed to have those Stones.’’

‘’So we go to Earth?’’ Drax asks.

Peter sighs. ‘’Apparently, we’re going to Earth.’’

‘’Hey, I’m the Captain!’’ Rocket says, and he’s silent for a moment as everyone looks at him. ‘’Okay, yeah. We’re going to Earth.’’

~*~

_When I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's the best, when they lay me down to die, goin' up to the spirit in the sky..._

Tony hums along with the song. ‘’You’ve got a nice soundtrack going on, here,’’ he says to Peter. His fellow human is the only one still awake. All other Guardians have gone to sleep after a long day, but Peter is steering the ship, claiming he wasn’t tired. Tony had joined him wordlessly.

‘’My mum gave it to me,’’ Peter says slowly. ‘’Awesome Mix. She said it gave her some happiness, after the End. That’s what they call it, you know? The End. Because the world kept turning, but its people… well, they didn’t. Not really. She lost her dad, in 1977. I wasn’t born, back then.’’

‘’I never went back, even after I left Thanos,’’ Tony says. ‘’I could have, easily. I didn’t want to see what the world has turned into. Even now – I’m a grown man, I’ve seen more than my fair share of the galaxy, and yet. Yet, I didn’t want to face the consequences of what had happened to Earth. But I’m glad she could find some happiness, after that. I never did.’’

‘’I found Gamora,’’ Peter says. It seems like it slips out, but Tony smiles.

‘’That you did,’’ he agrees. ‘’I’m not going to tell you to take care of her, or else. Firstly, Gamora is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Second, I was the one who bailed, so I don’t get to say that. You’ve stood by her, so far. She loves you. So, I’m not going to tell you. But I will ask it of you. Gamora’s life has been hard enough, so far. She doesn’t need any more pain.’’

‘’It’s not going to be enough until Thanos is gone,’’ Peter says. ‘’She’s told me a lot about you, you know? I didn’t know you were of Earth, but she told me enough. You were kind to her, she said. She said you were the only one who took care of her, and who loved her, besides Nebula. And that didn’t turn out so well, until recently.’’

‘’Families are messy. I didn’t want to leave her, or Nebula. I’m glad she remembers me the way she does, but I was the one who left her there. I was the only one who gave a damn, and I left them there.’’

‘’At least you were the one who gave a damn,’’ Peter says, looking at Tony. The music is still playing softly on the background. ‘’If I ever meet Thanos, I don’t care how strong he is. I’m going to shoot him in the eyeball.’’

Tony smiles at Peter’s conviction. There’s no doubt that this man loves Gamora beyond anything else. He’s glad she has someone like him. She could use someone who is going to be on her side forever. Someone who will fight the world for her. 

‘’Thanos cares, in his own way,’’ Tony allows. ‘’He cares, but ultimately, he’s on his own misguided mission to save the universe. And he cares about that more.’’

Peter gives him a look. ‘’I know I have my own daddy issues, but that’s the worst crap I’ve ever heard.’’

‘’Talk to me about daddy issues,’’ Tony laughs.

_Goin' up to the spirit in the sky, that's where I'm gonna go when I die, when I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's the best…_

~*~

__Tony doesn’t know how to feel about any of the recent events. For twenty-five years, he’s been alone. For twenty-five years, he’s been fighting his secret fight against Thanos, following an endless number of leads, trying to oppose his adoptive father._ _

__Now he’s found Gamora and Nebula, who decided to stick with the Guardians, and an entire group of odd individuals who make up a family. Thanos is going to come, soon, he doesn’t doubt it. So they have to have a plan before he comes._ _

__And somehow, Tony finds his way back to Earth with his sisters and newly-found friends. Twenty-five years since he left Thanos marks thirty-seven years since he was taken from Earth. He doesn’t know if he’s excited or nervous. He doesn’t have a good reason for not having returned yet, except for that constant feeling that he couldn’t._ _

__If he wants to stop Thanos, though, he has to. Half of the Infinity Stones are hidden here, and if that’s not a reason to return, Tony doesn’t know what is._ _

__They’re hovering above Earth in Peter’s ship. Tony had sold his when they left Kitson for a reasonable price, to come with the Guardians. He can easily make a better ship, anyway. Even his suit can travel through space for quite some time._ _

__‘’Who’s going to contact them?’’ Nebula asks._ _

__‘’Who are we even supposed to contact?’’ Peter asks. ‘’NASA? The police? Are they even going to take us seriously?’’_ _

Just as they’re discussing it, the radio crackles. Everyone looks at it. ‘’ _Hello?_ ’’ they hear a female voice speaking. ‘’ _Who is this? Authorize yourself, right now._ ’’ 

__‘’I guess they started focusing a bit more on identifying spaceships after the End,’’ Tony says, trying to sound optimistic, and walks over to the radio. ‘’Hi there, we are the Guardians of the Galaxy. We’d like permission to land. We have some very serious news that you should know of. Who’s speaking?’’_ _

‘’ _My name is Maria Hill, and I’m director of SHIELD_ ,’’ the voice says sternly. ‘’ _What is your business on Earth, and what is your name? We have multiple guns pointed at your ship_.’’

__‘’Calm down, we have two humans on board,’’ Tony says, ‘’and a variety of non-hostile aliens. We’re with eight people, and we are not a danger. My name is Tony, we just want to talk about an incoming threat.’’_ _

There’s silence for a few seconds, and Tony has no doubt that they’re discussing something among themselves on the other side of the radio. No way that only this woman is talking to them. ‘’ _You are allowed to land, but one wrong move, and we’ll blow you up_ ,’’ Maria Hill says eventually. ‘’ _We’ll send you the coordinates_.’’ 

__‘’You won’t regret this,’’ Tony answers, and the communication goes dead._ _

__‘’We’re off to a great start,’’ Peter exclaims with an eye-roll that says all._ _

__~*~_ _

__The coordinates are to a building just outside of New York. Their ship is small, so probably not a lot of people notice, but Tony still has to wonder why they’re so close to the city._ _

__Peter lands the ship, and there’s a tense atmosphere among the Guardians, almost like they’re waiting for something to happen. The absence of Peter’s music, or Peter and Tony’s chatting, makes the other Guardians be on edge too. Gamora moves closer to Peter and Tony both, planting a kiss on Peter's cheek and pinching Tony's hand._ _

__‘’The two of you are my favourite Earthlings,’’ she says softly, ‘’so if they want to try to do anything to you, they’ll have to go through me first.’’_ _

__‘’And me,’’ Nebula adds._ _

__‘’I am Groot,’’ the small Groot says cheerfully._ _

__‘’Well said, buddy,’’ Rocket nods._ _

‘’We all know I’m the _actual_ captain, so I think I should go first and set an example,’’ Peter says, and Tony nods at him, smiling. Peter is trying to be brave, but just like Tony, he’s probably terrified of returning home. They’ve been gone for a long time, and by going first, he’s owning up to that fear. Tony’s more than happy to follow this man, anyway, his fellow human who’s turned out to be a loyal, brave and traumatized Guardian of the Galaxy.

__Peter goes first, followed by Gamora and Drax, followed by the rest. Groot stays on Rocket’s shoulder, happily taking in their new environment. Mantis is openly gaping._ _

__It’s immediately clear why they had to land here. There’s a group of armed people in front of them, all pointing their weapons at them, and Tony doesn’t doubt there’s a weapon system targeted right at them. The building in front of them is certainly advanced enough. This has to be some sort of base, and the huge ‘A’ plastered on the building leaves no doubt about it._ _

__Peter seems unfazed by the hostility. A woman steps forward, brown hair in a ponytail and intelligent, sharp eyes fixed on them. ‘’My name is Maria Hill,’’ she says, and Tony remembers that she’s the one that spoke to them earlier. ‘’State your name and business, and I suggest you do it fast.’’_ _

__‘’Hi,’’ Peter says, waving a bit. ‘’My name is Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord. We want to talk to someone who might be able to deal with an extra-terrestrial threat. If that’s possible. Oh, and this is my team, the Guardians of the Galaxy… the title is self-explanatory. Here’s Gamora, that’s Drax, Rocket, Groot, Nebula, Mantis, and that guy is Tony, or Iron Man.’’_ _

__Maria Hill exchanges glances with a man wearing the Captain America costume. His cowl hides everything of his face but his blue eyes, but Tony knows it can’t be the actual Steve Rogers. That man died years ago, Howard told that to Tony himself. Why they put a new guy in the suit is beyond him, though – maybe it has some patriotic value._ _

__‘’These are the Avengers, and they’ll be watching you carefully while you’re here,’’ Hill says, pointing to the group of three behind her. Two of them look like very daring individuals; the other doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing here. ‘’Bruce Banner, Hope van Dyne and Steve Rogers. And me. Our two other members are on their way.’’_ _

__‘’No way that’s Steve Rogers,’’ Tony finds himself saying. ‘’That guy died, decades ago. Anyone knows that.’’_ _

__‘’You know of me?’’ the guy in the mask says, a little surprised._ _

__‘’Is that the real shield?’’ Tony asks, walking forward boldly. ‘’Real vibranium? Where’d you get that from, though? Has to be the biggest chunk of it that America even has. Or things changed, I don’t know, I’ve been out of town for a while. Still – stronger than steel and a third its weight. Impressive, for the 1940s. I could do better, but it’s authentic, for sure, if you’re going to imitate Captain America.’’_ _

__‘’Who are you?’’ one of the guys, Bruce Banner, if he remembers correctly, asks._ _

__‘’More importantly, how do you know all of that?’’ Hill asks, arms crossed._ _

__Tony shrugs. ‘’My dad made that shield. My name’s Tony Stark, and we’ve come with a serious warning.’’_ _

__~*~_ _

__‘’How can we be expected to believe you’re actually Howard Stark’s son?’’ Hope van Dyne asks with a pointed look. The Avengers have let the Guardians into the compound, and they’re being treated with a relative niceness that Tony didn’t expect from Hill._ _

__‘’How can something like this actually be the issue at hand?’’ Nebula growls, and Tony lays a hand on her arm._ _

__‘’What I don’t get is how the Actual Steve Rogers survived in the ice for decades and came out intact,’’ he responds easily, ‘’but I’m not saying you’re lying either. Well, I’m not saying that anymore.’’_ _

__‘’Thank you?’’ the Actual Steve Rogers says, sounding rather baffled._ _

__‘’You’re welcome,’’ Tony smiles, and turns back to Hope. ‘’Look, don’t believe me, if you don’t want to. I was only kidnapped by aliens when I was a kid, but hey, whatever, discredit all of that. None of that matters. We’re telling you the guy who murdered half of the people of Earth in 1977 is returning, and it’s not going to be long.’’_ _

__‘’Didn’t he come to save our world, or something like that?’’ Banner fiddles with his glasses. ‘’Why would he come back?’’_ _

__‘’How old were you?’’ Tony asks him. Banner looks to be about his age, and the man looks up._ _

__‘’Seven,’’ he says quietly. ‘’I lost my father. It wasn’t – it may have been for the best, but still. He was still my father. We lost half the world. So many people focused on aliens, after that, trying to find out ways to fend off other attacks. I focused somewhere else, and lost my way.’’_ _

__Tony doesn’t know what he means by that, but considering the man is surrounded by some of the most dangerous people Earth has to offer, he has to assume that Bruce Banner earned his place in all of this. ‘’I was seven, too,’’ he offers. ‘’He took me, and trained me. For years, I took his missions. We killed so many people, destroyed so many lives. Until one day, someone made me realize that I had more to offer, that killing people isn’t the way to save any of them. It’s too high a price. Since then, I’ve tried to find ways to stop him. Earth plays a large part in that, whether you want to believe it or not. He is coming. He won’t stop at anything, not until he finds the Infinity Stones. And you have three.’’_ _

__‘’Did someone say Infinity Stones?’’ a new voice asks, and two familiar people enter._ _

__‘’Loki? Thor?’’ Tony exclaims, and the two Asgardians scrutinize him with a surprised look on their faces. Thor looks roughly the same, but Loki seems paler, sicklier. There’s an air about him that worries Tony._ _

__‘’I’d introduce you to our two other members, but I somehow feel that that will be unnecessary,’’ Hill comments._ _

__‘’I’ve fought with them, the Battle of Harokin,’’ Tony says. ‘’It’s me. Tony.’’_ _

__‘’I remember!’’ Thor says loudly. ‘’A glorious battle, one you fought bravely!’’_ _

__‘’What did you say about Infinity Stones?’’ Loki repeats, cutting to the chase._ _

__Tony sighs. Gamora takes a step forward. ‘’The Mad Titan is coming to claim them,’’ she says, and the room falls silent. ‘’There are three here, on Terra. We need to figure out what to do with them, because if we can’t protect the Stones, the galaxy is doomed.’’_ _

__‘’I have the Mind Stone,’’ Loki says humourlessly. ‘’A parting gift, from the Mad Titan.’’_ _

__‘’You led that invasion?’’ Peter Quill asks._ _

__Maria Hill sighs, but Hope van Dyne takes a step forward. ‘’I’ll tell you all about the invasion, if you tell us all about this Mad Titan,’’ she says._ _

__~*~_ _

__Tony Stark is sitting just outside the Compound, watching the birds fly past. He has never appreciated nature as a child, and under Thanos’ guardianship, he’s never had the time. The sun is setting over the city, bathing New York in a soft red light that Tony hasn’t seen in decades. His throat constricts with a sudden homesickness; he wonders how his life would have turned out, had Thanos not come. He wonders if he’d be Iron Man, right now. He’d wonder if he would have had to live with an arc reactor in his chest and nightmares on loop during the nights._ _

__Maybe. Tony will never be able to say. The galaxy has a funny habit of finding a way, and Tony will never know what his life would have been._ _

__He has a lot to think about. The Avengers have caught him up to the most important events that have occurred since 1977, not in the least the invasion that Loki had led, only two years earlier. Apparently, Thanos captured him. Tony now understands why Loki has changed so much._ _

__Another alien attack on Earth, one less devastating, but still. Now they had the Avengers, at least, the five skilled individuals who’d stopped the invasion and had succeeded in turning Loki back to their side, making their group of five a group of six. They’re impressive, Tony acknowledges._ _

__‘’Hi there,’’ one of the Avengers says. It’s Steve Rogers – Captain America. Tony still doesn’t know what to do with that information. ‘’Can I sit?’’_ _

__‘’Don’t let me stop you,’’ Tony mutters. The Captain seems to take it as an agreement, and sits down next to Tony._ _

__‘’So,’’ he starts. ‘’This must be quite something. To return, after so many years. I know a little something about that.’’_ _

__Tony sighs. ‘’Look, I’m fine. I don’t need to talk about anything with you. I don’t need pity, or anything of the like. Did you know my dad used to talk about you all the time? I dare to bet he loved you a lot more than he liked me. And do you know I thought about you, when Thanos took me? I imagined you breaking through that door, in the spaceship I was kept. Captain America, coming to save me. But you were dead. And no one came for me. I’m over it.’’_ _

__‘’Doesn’t sound like it,’’ Rogers hums. ‘’I don’t want you to dislike me, Tony. I’m sorry Howard made you feel that way, but I’ve been told that he changed. After the war, and then once again after the End.’’_ _

__‘’Wait, Howard survived the End?’’ Tony demands. ‘’Who told you that? I thought… I thought he died. I thought he and my mom died.’’_ _

__Rogers looks at him, but it’s not pity. It’s compassion, and Tony looks away. ‘’Peggy told me,’’ Rogers says. ‘’Peggy Carter. She said she knew you very well, when she was a child. She’s told me lots about you, but we all thought you’d died. I think that’s maybe the worst thing that has ever happened to her – over losing me, over losing her husband. I think her biggest regret was losing you, as a child.’’_ _

__‘’Aunt Peggy,’’ Tony whispers. ‘’Is she…?’’ He doesn’t want to finish the question, but Rogers nods._ _

__‘’She’s still alive,’’ he confirms. ‘’She’s slowly forgetting stuff, but she won’t ever forget you. It’s not too bad, yet, fortunately, but the doctors say it’ll become worse. I actually – when I found out you were alive, I called her. She’s coming here. Is that – I maybe should’ve asked before. But she was so happy when I told her we’d found you.’’_ _

__‘’No,’’ Tony says, trying not to sound choked up. ‘’I’d love to see Peggy. Thank you, Rogers.’’_ _

__‘’Call me Steve,’’ the Captain says, and smiles._ _

__~*~_ _

__Tony has a hard time waiting, after that, or focusing on anything at all. He knows he should be focusing on planning, together with the Guardians and the Avengers, but Peggy is arriving within hours. He can’t help but feel a strange mixture of giddiness and anxiety; what if she doesn’t recognize him? Tony isn’t the seven-year-old child she used to know; he’s mid-forty, slightly altered due to both Thanos’ potions and his own inventions. He’s seen war and death and ruin, and he’s caused all of that, too._ _

__How can Peggy ever see him, and recognize the bright child of Howard Stark in him?_ _

__So Tony worries, because Peggy is the last person that knew the Tony Stark he was before, and he’s not sure how much of that child is left in him. He feels like a fraud, like he’s stolen someone else’s identity. He feels like Tony Stark, the actual Tony Stark, may have died back in 1977, and now he’s here as a ghost._ _

__He’s left the room in which the others reside, who are discussing the best way of defeating, or at least stalling, Thanos. He can’t focus, and it’s not anything he wants to talk about. Nebula gave him an odd look as he’d left, but she stayed with her fellow Guardians, so Tony sits by himself._ _

__‘’Look who we have here,’’ someone says, a smile in her voice. Tony turns, gaping at the familiar face he sees. Her face has aged, but her dark brown eyes are still sparkling, the youthfulness retained in only that part of Peggy Carter._ _

__‘’Aunt Peggy?’’ he lets slip, and Peggy walks towards him, albeit slowly, with a huge smile on her face._ _

‘’I didn’t believe Steve, when he told me,’’ she says, as she halts before him. She looks him up and down with eyes that seem to be slightly glittering with unshed tears. ‘’I told him, I can’t have that. To lose two of the most important people in my life, and to have them returned to me. Even if it’s decades later. But it _is_ you. Oh, my dear Tony.’’

__Tony looks at her, and can feel himself choking up. She’s the last link to his past, here. He stands up and takes her hand. He’s taller than her, now, and that feels weirder than seeing her hair, once equalling her eyes in colour, now so pale. It’s weirder than seeing her so fragile, in some ways. ‘’You recognize me?’’ he whispers._ _

__Peggy smiles, and it seems like her heart is both broken and mended at the same time. ‘’I’d always recognize you, Tony.’’_ _

__Tony closes his eyes, and finally feels like he’s actually returned home._ _

__~*~_ _

__‘’You should have told us you were taking an earlier plane,’’ Steve argues, as he fusses over Peggy. Tony can see how much he still cares about her; Peggy just lets him mother-hen her with an indulgent smile, and a wink at Tony. She may be old – she’s ninety-three, but she is as healthy as she could be. Tony is glad he could see her again, at least. He thinks Steve feels very much the same._ _

__It’s just Steve and Tony with Peggy, so they won’t overwhelm her. They’re with quite a large group, now, but most of those aren’t relevant to her. She’s here for Tony. A nurse came with her, on the plane and into the Compound, but he has made himself scarce._ _

__‘’I’m a big girl, Steve,’’ Peggy says, batting away his hand._ _

__‘’The biggest,’’ Steve agrees, and then his cheeks turn red. ‘’That didn’t come out the way I thought it would.’’_ _

__Tony grins. ‘’Still no good at talking to girls,’’ Peggy concludes. ‘’I hope you did better on that front, Tony. But I think you’ve inherited that Stark charm. You’ve certainly grown into that smile.’’_ _

__‘’Yeah, well,’’ Tony shrugs. ‘’Not a lot of girls in space I practised on. I was busy doing other stuff.’’_ _

__‘’About that Thanos fellow,’’ Peggy says sternly, ‘’if he gets even a hit in on you, just point me in the right direction. I may be almost a century old, but no way I’d let him hurt my boys. Not again.’’_ _

__‘’I’m sure he’ll run away screaming,’’ Tony says with a smile._ _

__They’ve been catching up for over an hour, and Peggy has listened thoughtfully to anything Tony has thought to tell her. He’s shown her the arc reactor, and his suit. She was very impressed – she loves the technology, Tony can tell. Steve, who’s been there the entire time, is also apparently very interested by the advancements Tony has made. Then again, lots of modern technology is still a bit odd to him, and Tony is beyond anything Earth can manage._ _

__When Peggy sits up a bit straighter, Tony knows she’s going to say something more serious, though. ‘’Tony, I think I need to tell you about Howard,’’ she says. Tony nods._ _

__‘’He survived the End, didn’t he?’’ he asks quietly._ _

__Peggy nods. ‘’He survived – and in a way, he didn’t. He called me, when it was over. I was – I had my own family to worry about, you see. A husband of my own to bury – my children lived, fortunately. Your loss was heavy enough. But we found Maria, only days later. We never found you, obviously. We all believed you dead, but Howard got it into his mind that you were merely missing. In hindsight, he was right, of course, but none of us could have known that. He spent years searching for you, and when he wasn’t searching, he was drinking. It was no way to live, and he lost his company – he lost everything, and he didn’t care. He died back in 1986 of liver failure, but not before he’d made you something. Nine years, he’d spent manufacturing and upgrading Arsenal. He made it to find you, and protect you – the most advanced piece of robotics he’d ever made. Not that he cared. He only wanted to find you. Unfortunately, he never did.’’_ _

__‘’I didn’t know he cared,’’ Tony says. ‘’All these years – I thought that Thanos would have killed them. I thought he didn’t like me.’’_ _

‘’He may not have been the best at showing it, and he may have been a lousy father, but he loved you. In his own way. It’s a shame he didn’t know to say it until he lost you – but I find that such things often happen.’’ She sends Steve a fleeting look at that, until she looks straight back at Tony. ‘’I brought Arsenal. It belongs to you, as Howard instructed. In fact, you inherited all that he owned. He lost a lot, by the end of his life, but he still had quite some riches. Even Howard Stark was unable to spend _all_ of his money on booze. Steve, could you get it for me? I left Arsenal in the jet.’’

__Steve nods, and leaves. ‘’So,’’ Tony says, trying to sound brighter than he feels. ‘’I have something left from my old man, after all.’’_ _

__Peggy regards him. ‘’If you were looking for that, you only should have looked at yourself. You look like him, and you have inherited his charm and intellect; but you have also inherited his demons, and I can imagine it’s only become worse with the kind of life you have led so far. I’m just glad that you have Maria’s heart and persistence.’’_ _

__Tony doesn’t know what to say, so he doesn’t say anything at all. Peggy understands anyway._ _

__~*~_ _

__It’s just Nebula, Gamora, Peter and Tony at the end of the day. Tony is still not sure how to feel. For decades, he’s been alone, and in the space of such little time he’s regained his sisters and his aunt. It’s overwhelming, and it’s not as if Tony knows how to deal with emotions anyway._ _

__‘’Did you get to a conclusion?’’ he asks them. Their gazes are aimed straight at him, but he doesn’t have the slightest idea what to tell them, so he tells them nothing._ _

__Nebula moves, pushing herself away from the wall. ‘’The only thing we’ve concluded is that slowing Thanos down isn’t enough,’’ she says. ‘’We have to end him. That’s the only way to save the galaxy.’’_ _

__‘’Well, there is another thing we concluded,’’ Peter adds. ‘’Namely, that it’s impossible.’’_ _

__Tony huffs out a laugh, because Peter is right. If Tony had any idea on how to defeat Thanos, he would’ve started with that. But Thanos is too powerful, and his empire too great. The Chitauri are quite the force to behold, and with children like Maw on his side, planets will fall easily to his reign. Tony is just a man in a suit – Iron Man or not, he can’t do this by himself. He’s not even sure they can do it, together._ _

__‘’Gamora?’’ Tony asks. ‘’What do you think?’’_ _

__‘’First off, I’m wondering about what that thing is?’’ she says, raising her eyebrows at the silver robot by Tony’s side. It’s not very big – it reaches Tony’s middle only barely, and it’s a bit rusty. Still, Tony is already very fond of Arsenal._ _

__‘’He’s adjusting, he hasn’t been online in decades,’’ Tony defends him. ‘’His name is Arsenal. My father built him to find and protect me. So I’m finally getting that puppy I asked for, kind of.’’_ _

__‘’That’s awesome,’’ Peter decides. ‘’Does he play fetch?’’_ _

__‘’Let’s not try,’’ Tony comments dryly. ‘’I’ll upgrade him later. Maybe I’ll even make him a brother he can play with, I’ll call that one Dum-E, they’ll be a perfect match. But Arsenal, as lovely as he is, wasn’t the subject of this conversation. Sister?’’_ _

__She doesn’t say anything, for a few moments. She’s clearly thinking, biting her lip, probably unaware of it. Thanos would’ve hated the small gesture, and would’ve seen it as a sign of weakness – Tony only feels a wave of fondness roll over him, seeing her be so human around her chosen family. Gamora has grown in ways that Thanos will never understand, and Tony loves her more than he can say for that._ _

__‘’We have to try something,’’ she says finally. ‘’Thanos is coming. He’s going for the Infinity Stones, and who knows how long it’ll take him to find all of them. Safe isn’t safe enough to stop him, and we shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking it is. Our advantage is that the Avengers are willing to ally themselves with us, and that they believe us. Loki has the Mind Stone and is capable of using it; Hill knows the location of the Space Stone and has access to that. All we need to do is find someone capable of using that one, as well, and we’ll be able to use two Infinity Stones. We know the Time Stone is on Terra as well. We need to convince whoever holds that gem to get on our side and join our battle against Thanos; if they refuse, well, there are enough warriors among us to take the Stone with force.’’_ _

__‘’You want to battle Thanos with the Infinity Stones,’’ Tony concludes. ‘’Draw him to Earth. I’m not sure I like that idea, Gamora. That’s incredibly dangerous.’’_ _

__‘’It’s the only option,’’ Gamora argues._ _

__Tony knows she’s right. That doesn’t mind he has to like her plan. ‘’Let’s hash out the details for this plan, then,’’ he says._ _

__‘’I may have some ideas,’’ Nebula says._ _

__~*~_ _

__‘’Hi there,’’ Tony says brightly, as someone with a finely shaved goatee opens the door with a slightly annoyed look. ‘’I’ve come to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative.’’_ _

__‘’Wait,’’ Bruce Banner says beside him, sounding a bit surprised to see the man. ‘’Weren’t you a famous neurosurgeon? Dr Strange, wasn’t it?’’_ _

__‘’Let’s just say I changed career paths,’’ Dr Strange comments dryly. ‘’Who are you, what do you want, and why would I have any interest at all in the Avengers? I have more comprehensive things to protect than only _this_ world, you see.’’_ _

Tony shrugs. ‘’A bit conceited, but sure. What if I said you would not only get to save _this_ world, but the entire universe?’’

__Stephen Strange raises his eyebrows at him. ‘’I’d say that sounds serious.’’_ _

__Tony smiles fleetingly. Arsenal hovers beside him, making chirping noises. Tony still doesn’t know why the robot decided to communicate like that, but is loath to program it out of him. ‘’Well,’’ he says. ‘’The End is coming once again, not only for Earth, but for the entire galaxy, and we need your help. The Mad Titan is coming, and we're not planning on letting him win.''_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only one more to go! comments & kudos are always greatly appreciated :)


	5. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, guys! thank you all for all the awesome feedback i've gotten for this fic! it's gotten more attention than I expected, so i'm glad you all like it! this is the final chapter, and the longest one, with 12k. i hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> please read the tags for warnings. also, please let me know in the comments if you think i should've tagged something and didn't.

_Titan, 2015_

‘’Are you ready?’’ Gamora whispers. Her voice is calm, but her eyes betray her anxiety; she keeps looking at Nebula and Tony, even as she steers them closer to their adoptive father’s home planet.

‘’Is anyone ever?’’ Tony asks humourlessly. 

They’ve spent the last year on Earth, preparing and scheming. SHIELD has proven to be infinitely useful, providing them with the strongest protectors Earth could hope to have in the Avengers, and listing the best military men alive to assist them. Tony has spent most of the year making new inventions to help them battle Thanos; making new ships, making better weapons – though he made sure only a select few got them. All the Avengers have been equipped by Stark weapons, and a few of the military men that Tony has come to trust, among which one Colonel James Rhodes, who’s somehow become one of Tony’s closest friends.

Tony has more people than he has ever had. He’s become much closer to Gamora and Nebula, and feels safe in calling the other Guardians his friends. Peter has become something like a brother, to Tony. Mantis and Rocket seem to have grown fond of him, too. Both of them like his weapons a lot – something that Tony may have expected from Rocket, but Mantis was a surprise. Oh well.

Not only that, he has Peggy back. Her Alzheimer is getting worse, which makes it hard to be with her sometimes, but Tony is too happy to have her in his life once again to let it get him down. He’s also getting along really well with Bruce, Stephen and Loki, especially. 

The thing that bothers him the most about having a family again is that he has to risk everything he’s gained, the last year, if he wants to stop Thanos. His adoptive father is the most dangerous enemy he can have, and here he is, willingly painting a target on his and his sisters’ backs. However, if he _doesn’t_ do this, he risks losing to Thanos, and that would be even worse.

Tony has no choice but to fight back, and he is determined to win.

‘’Tony?’’ Nebula says. ‘’I asked if we’re close enough to deploy the emergency pod.’’

Tony shakes himself out of his pondering and looks at the distance to the planet. They’re nearing Titan fast; he can see Thanos’ ship already there, and another smaller ship parked too. ‘’Is the stealth mode holding up?’’ he asks.

‘’You know it is,’’ Gamora answers. ‘’You made it.’’

Tony smiles half-heartedly. ‘’Okay, I’m getting into the pod,’’ he announces.

‘’Wait,’’ Nebula says. Tony halts, and she looks down, before pulling him into a hug. ‘’Don’t die.’’

‘’I’ll try,’’ Tony says, squeezing her tightly before letting her go. ‘’Don’t follow me until I give you the signal. And if things go south, leave. And remember, take care of each other.’’

‘’Be safe,’’ is all Gamora says. Her dark eyes are focused on him, and Tony gives her a short nod. Then he gets into the emergency pod, activating his suit as it ejects itself towards Titan. He can’t see their ship anymore, once he’s released from it, but he knows his sisters are out there.

 _Please let this work the easy way_ , he thinks, and hopes that it isn’t too much to ask.

~*~

Tony leaves the pod before it lands, flying towards the ground in his suit. Its golden and red colours gleam in the sun. He remembers when Thanos brought him on Titan, the first planet he’d seen after having been taken from Earth. He remembers thinking it had an ethereal atmosphere, but he hasn’t thought about that ever since. The memory hits him like a brick, though – it does feel odd, returning here. The end of the beginning, and now the beginning of the end.

Thanos is standing there, a few feet away, his back to Tony. He’s looking to the pod that is landing, and there’s two others beside him. The first Tony doesn’t recognize, but the second is Ebony Maw.

‘’Who is that?’’ Thanos demands to the woman. ‘’Proxima, go see if there’s anyone in there.’’

‘’Oh, don’t bother,’’ Tony says merrily, though his suit makes it sound more mechanical and serious. ‘’You won’t find anything in there.’’

Thanos turns around, a blank look on his face. ‘’Who are you?’’ Thanos asks calmly. Tony can’t help but focus on the gauntlet on his left hand, two stones lighting up in it. Power and Reality, Tony realizes. He has two already. That’s not what they counted on, and Tony takes a deep breath to calm himself.

‘’Iron Man,’’ Tony answers. ‘’Not the name you knew me by, though. But I’ve tried to change, since then, so maybe it’s fitting. Made myself a nice suit, tracked down some of my weapons that you, so generously, sold to your allies. And here we are, decades later, both trying to achieve our goal.’’

‘’Anthony,’’ Thanos realizes, and Ebony besides him tilts his head. ‘’My son.’’

‘’My name is Tony, and I’m not your son. I’m the son of Maria Stark, and you killed her,’’ Tony says, and takes his first shot.

Thanos growls, but the shots don’t seem to harm him, and Tony takes to the sky. If he wants a real chance at injuring Thanos, he needs to take down Maw and that woman – what was her name? Proxima? – first. And he could use some help with that.

He shoots a flare into the sky, the sign that Gamora and Nebula would be searching for.

Ebony raises his hands, clearly ready to attack, but Thanos stops him. ‘’Wait,’’ the Titan says, smirking. Tony stops in his tracks, though he’s ready to attack at first notice. ‘’Anthony. I have to admit I’m disappointed.’’

‘’I’m disappointed you’d think I care,’’ Tony answers, opening his face plate. 

Thanos sighs, and comes closer to him. ‘’You can’t win from me, my son,’’ he says in a low voice. ‘’You have to know that I have the power to change reality. Everything you think is true, can become a lie.’’

‘’That’s not how it works,’’ Tony says, and tries to fly up, but Thanos makes a fist, the Stones lighting up in his gauntlet. And his suit disappears like a sun behind a cloud – slowly, until it’s gone completely, and Tony’s standing in his black undersuit.

Thanos walks over to Tony. He can’t do anything but sit still, as Thanos makes the ground take hold of Tony, pushing him down until he’s kneeling. Tony looks to the ground, and doesn’t make a noise as Thanos lays his hand in his hair, like he did when Tony was still a child. 

He can’t see the glow of the arc reactor anymore. His suit is gone, but he didn’t know – Tony tries not to panic, as he reaches for his chest. ‘’Don’t worry, son,’’ Thanos says calmly, and raises Tony’s chin with a single finger. ‘’The metal nearing your heart is gone, too. You never have to worry about that again. I told you I take care of my own, and no matter what you think, Anthony, you’ve never stopped being my son. I raised you into the man you have become, and I could not be more proud.’’

‘’I’m nothing like what you raised me to be,’’ Tony spats, still feeling the adrenaline of thinking he’s dying rush through his body. 

Thanos smiles. ‘’I know there are three Stones on Earth, son. I could promise to go easy on them, for your sake. If you return to me, I could forgive you – and your sisters.’’

Tony holds his breath for only a second. ‘’What do you mean?’’ he says neutrally.

‘’Oh, don’t take me for a fool. I know you wouldn’t have come alone, and Gamora and Nebula have always adored you, even when you were gone. I wasn’t sure, of course, until now. Ebony, Proxima, do not harm your sisters.’’

‘’Of course,’’ Proxima says, but she looks at Tony with a threatening smile he doesn’t like one bit.

Thanos turns back to Tony. ‘’Your intellect and bravery has grown far beyond anything I could have hoped for, when I adopted you. Come with me to collect the Stones, and you will see my mercy. You have nothing to fear from me, nor do your sisters.’’

‘’Except, of course, the death of half the universe,’’ Tony says. ‘’You’re wrong. You’ve always been wrong. You have no business interfering with life, and the fact that you think you do is messed up beyond measuring. You swayed me when I was seven, but it’ll never happen again.’’

‘’How do you plan on stopping me?’’ Thanos asks, but the smile is gone from his face. ‘’Last chance, Anthony. There is nothing you can do.’’

‘’But we can,’’ Gamora says, and shoots Proxima straight in the back.

Nebula throws an electronic bomb at Ebony Maw before he can think to react, and he falls to the ground as he is being electrified. Proxima yells, jumping at Gamora, but there’s a reason Gamora used to be Thanos’ favourite. With a quick motion, she stabs the other woman through her side, and Nebula helps her by throwing Proxima off her sister and kicking her in the face.

Thanos grabs Tony by the hair, and he tries not to hiss. ‘’My daughters,’’ the Titan says. ‘’I’ve offered your brother mercy, but he refused. Maybe you will be wiser and heed my words.’’

‘’I don’t think so,’’ Nebula says. ‘’Let him go, right now.’’

Thanos regards her and Gamora silently. Gamora is holding onto her two swords tightly, while Nebula is still aiming a huge gun at her adoptive father. Tony can’t help but be proud of them, the bravery they are showing by standing up against Thanos.

‘’I see you’ve been upgraded,’’ Thanos says. ‘’Courtesy of your brother, I’d imagine. Do not think I will not rip your eye out yet another time, Nebula. You’re not that special.’’

‘’If you even think about hurting her, I’ll kill you,’’ Gamora snaps.

‘’It’s just a shame, Gamora,’’ Thanos says, and tugs on Tony’s hair. ‘’Maybe it was my fault that I lost you. I’ve let you grow up with too many people unfaithful to me, so how could I hold it against you that you followed them? Losing Anthony was a blow, but losing you… that broke my heart.’’

‘’You don’t have a heart,’’ Gamora says, and raises one of her swords, slowly walking towards Thanos until it’s almost in his face. Thanos doesn’t flinch. ‘’Let my brother go. Now.’’

Tony inhales sharply when Thanos lets go of his hair and takes him by the nape of his neck instead. Thanos raises his left fist, the gems lighting up. ‘’Gamora!’’ Tony yells, as her swords and Nebula’s gun become butterflies, which fly off into the distance. 

Thanos throws Tony into the ground, and he goes down with an inaudible gasp, feeling his nose start to bleed. Thanos takes Gamora by her hair, lifting her up in the air, completely focused on her. Tony recognizes this as an important moment – they didn’t know that Thanos would have two Infinity Stones already, and Tony should have known better than to try and take him on. He gestures to the ship, looking intently at Nebula, who shakes her head.

Tony nods at her. Thanos is focused on Gamora, now, and he won’t let Tony go, but Nebula is fast enough to take the ship and leave. She can go back to Earth, send out a warning. It’ll be better than losing, together. He sees her hesitate for a moment, but she must’ve seen something in Tony’s eyes that convinces her, because then she runs. Proxima and Maw still lay on the ground, unconscious, and Tony groans as he tries to get up.

‘’Let her go!’’ Tony says. He means it, obviously, but he knows Thanos is unlikely to listen to him, so it’s mainly to give Nebula more time to get away. ‘’Hey, you ugly grape! I said, let her _go_!’’

He throws a rock at the Titan, because no one will ever say that Tony isn’t stupid and brave at the same time. Thanos doesn’t pay attention to Tony’s blatant attempts to make him focus on him instead of his sisters, though, and throws Gamora down next to him. ‘’Enough of this,’’ Thanos bellows. ‘’Proxima, Ebony.’’ He snaps his fingers at them, and the two of them raise their heads, drowsy, as they wake up. ‘’Take Nebula and… where is Nebula? Anthony!’’

Tony grins as he sees the ship take off in the sky, leaving Titan. Thanos growls. ‘’Father?’’ Ebony says, glaring at Tony.

‘’Go after Nebula,’’ Thanos demands. ‘’Take Proxima with you. Kill her.’’

‘’Of course,’’ Ebony says, helping up Proxima. It doesn’t take long for them to take off after Nebula, but considering that Tony made the ship she escaped in, he thinks she’ll go faster than the other two will manage to go. That’s a relief, at least, even if he does worry about her. However, he has more pressing matters to worry about, right now.

Tony stands up, dizzy and hurt, but he manages. Gamora is still on the ground, seemingly not very injured. She watches him with a quiet desperation, and Tony wants to protect her, more than anything.

‘’I know you’ve been hunting the Infinity Stones, Anthony,’’ Thanos says eventually. ‘’As it turns out, that is fortunate. There are three Stones on Earth, and their time will come. But first, I need to find the Soul Stone. Tell me where it is.’’

‘’You don’t know the location of the Soul Stone,’’ Tony realizes. He knows that Gamora was sent to find it and never told Thanos, but he did not know that Thanos hadn’t figured it out any other way. 

Thanos raises his gauntlet, again. ‘’I think you know by now that while I may regret having to use this, I will not hesitate,’’ his adoptive father says. ‘’You are my son, Anthony. Do you have no love left in your heart for the man who raised you?’’

‘’Love,’’ Gamora says, standing up as well. ‘’You say this is love? You _don’t know_ love! You’ve never had it, and you never will!’’

‘’Silence, daughter,’’ Thanos says. ‘’Anthony, tell me now. Where is the Soul Stone?’’

‘’I don’t know where it is,’’ Tony says honestly. ‘’I’ve never managed to find it. Which is good, because that means it’s safe from the likes of you.’’

‘’Don’t test me, boy,’’ Thanos says lowly. ‘’Gamora may have failed to find it, when I sent her on that mission, but I know you’ve been searching for far longer. Gamora, you’ve –‘’ Thanos falls silent, as he looks at her. Gamora looks back defiantly, but Tony doesn’t like the look of growing astonishment on Thanos’ face.

‘’You lied to me,’’ the Titan says eventually. ‘’You found it.’’

‘’I didn’t,’’ Gamora says heatedly. ‘’I told you I didn’t.’’

Thanos smirks. ‘’I’ve taught you everything I know, but I’ve never taught you to lie. Maybe that’s why you’re so _bad_ at it.’’

‘’Gamora,’’ Tony warns, as he sees her take a deep breath. ‘’Don’t.’’

‘’I won’t,’’ she says steadfastly. 

‘’Won’t you?’’ Thanos repeats, and grabs Tony by the neck again. ‘’Haven’t you heard how fragile humans can be, daughter? I’ve tried my best to make Anthony stronger, of course, but some beings… their limits are easily reached. I won’t even have to try very hard to make your brother suffer.’’

‘’ _Don’t_ ,’’ Tony emphasizes, even as Thanos holds the gauntlet to his back. Tony is holding onto Thanos’ hand, trying to pull it away, when the pain starts wrecking through his body. He clenches his teeth, trying not to scream as his eyes are filled with tears. He can’t cry out – he can’t do this to Gamora.

‘’I don’t know where the Stone is!’’ Gamora cries out. ‘’Don’t do this!’’

Tony’s lived through a lot of things – Thanos wasn’t the kindest when he was a child, and he’s fought his siblings often enough to know what a good beating feels like. His missions weren’t always very safe, and Tony’s spent time in jail, has been beaten up, shot, tortured, drugged. It’s nothing he didn’t get used to, and he remembers the pain that was inflicted upon him, even though he’s been gone for over a quarter of a century. He vividly remembers the caves of Harokin that he shared with Haran, and how the Kree had tortured him into making them weapons. 

All of that combined doesn’t even come close to the pain that Tony is feeling now. He’s not certain what Thanos is doing, but it hurts more than he can take. He sees white spots before his eyes in seconds, and he starts screaming even before that. He can’t even think about Gamora, anymore; all that exists, to him, is the hand in his neck that holds him still and the wrecking pain in his body, and trying to _get away, get away_ , basic instincts kicking in.

And then just as suddenly, the pain stops. Tony pants for breath, as he tries not to pass out, hanging limply in Thanos’ grip. Then he throws up, but that hardly makes him feel any better. All the time, he can feel Thanos and Gamora’s eyes on him. When he looks up, the first thing he sees are the tears rolling down Gamora’s cheeks. ‘’Don’t give in,’’ he croaks, trying to make himself audible, but his voice is hoarse from the screaming. ‘’You’re doing amazing, Gamora. Don’t give in.’’

‘’This is why I admire you, my son,’’ Thanos says. ‘’You may be fragile, but you _endure_. However, I do not mean for you to last much longer. Tell me, Gamora.’’

‘’I can’t,’’ Gamora says thickly.

Tony starts screaming again as the pain starts, feeling his own tears starting to leak. ‘’Please,’’ he cries out, though he doesn’t even know what he’s asking for. His body feels like it’s on fire on both the inside and the outside, and he’d start trashing if he had the energy for it. As it is, all he can do is scream until he loses his voice.

‘’Stop!’’ is the last thing he hears, and then Tony passes out.

~*~

When Tony wakes up again, he’s still exhausted. It’s hard to open his eyes, and his throat feels swollen. He feels terrible, like someone has tried to put needles in all of his muscles, and he gags at the amount of pain he feels.

‘’Tony?’’ Gamora whispers. She turns to him immediately, handing him a bottle of water and some pills.

Tony opens his mouth to talk, but she shushes him. ‘’Don’t speak. Your throat must be hurting,’’ she says, and he takes the glass with a grateful smile. He downs it within a few seconds, taking the medication as well.

‘’What –‘’ he starts, but coughs after even the one word. He gives Gamora a look, and she smiles down sadly at him.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ she says softly. ‘’I told him. I couldn’t see you like that.’’

‘’It’s okay,’’ Tony says slowly, trying out his voice, and he pats Gamora’s arm. ‘’Where?’’

‘’Thanos is taking us with him, to see if I was right,’’ she answers. ‘’We’re going to Vormir. I think we’ll be arriving shortly, you’ve been out for quite a while.’’

‘’Not your fault,’’ Tony insists. He’s still hoarse, but at least he doesn’t feel the overwhelming desire to cough anymore, so that’s better. 

He can’t blame Gamora for wanting to save him. In fact, Tony thinks he would have done the same thing, had their roles been reversed. If there’s one thing that he learnt from being with Thanos, it’s that Tony will never want to sacrifice even one person. The moment he starts sacrificing is the moment he’ll be that seven-year-old boy at Thanos’ feet again, rationalizing that it’s for the greater good.

Tony doesn’t want to lose his humanity ever again.

Thanos enters the room, looking at Tony and Gamora, who are huddled together in a corner of the ship. ‘’We’re there,’’ is all the Titan says, before he turns around and leaves again.

Tony and Gamora share a look. This is not going to end well.

~*~

Vormir turns out to be a barren planet, sand reaching as far as Tony can see. It’s full of ruins and the wind gushes past them. Tony has goose bumps, but it’s not just from the cold air.

Gamora walks beside him, Thanos just in front of them, clenching and unclenching his fist. ‘’Come,’’ he demands, without even looking at them.

Tony shrugs at Gamora. He’s able to walk – not very fast, though – but that’s about it. He’s still weak from the torture, and he doesn’t have his suit anymore. He doesn’t even have his arc reactor anymore, all in the span of a few hours, and Tony feels odd without it. The point is, Tony can’t do anything about it, and Gamora can’t hope to win by herself. So they come with Thanos in silence, not even trying to resist. All that will lead to is more pain.

Tony takes Gamora’s hand, and pinches it. She pinches back.

They’ve been walking for only a few minutes when a figure appears, hooded and floating, before they reach some steps. Thanos immediately halts, and Tony and Gamora follow his lead.

‘’Welcome, Thanos, son of Alars,’’ the hooded man says, his face hidden in shadows. ‘’Gamora, daughter of Thanos. And Anthony, son of Thanos.’’

Tony wants to protest, but Gamora pinches his hand again, and he remains silent.

‘’You know us?’’ Thanos asks.

The figure tilts his head. ‘’It is my curse to know all who journey here.’’

‘’Where is the Soul Stone?’’

‘’You should know it extracts a terrible price.’’

Thanos stands straighter. ‘’I am prepared.’’

The cloaked figure lands on the ground, and walks closer. The light falls over his face; Tony squints at it. He seems so familiar. ‘’We all think that, at first. We are all wrong.’’

‘’Show me,’’ Thanos demands, and the Stone Keeper nods. He turns around without a word, and starts walking. 

‘’I know him,’’ Tony whispers to Gamora, as it slots into place. ‘’I _know_ him. He’s Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull. He was the antagonist in all those Captain America comics I read as a child. He must’ve – he held the Tesseract, the Space Stone. It must’ve brought him here.’’

‘’Steve fought this guy?’’ Gamora whispers back. ‘’Well, he’s close to the Soul Stone, now.’’

‘’I’m not sure what good it did him,’’ Tony says softly, but then they fall silent.

Thanos speaks to the Red Skull, as they follow him. ‘’How is it you know this place so well?’’

The Red Skull continues walking, leading them towards one of the bigger ruins. Mountains rise around it. ‘’A lifetime ago, I too sought the stones. I even held one in my hand. But it cast me out, banished me here, guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess.’’

They reach the ruin – it’s the end of a mountain, a cliff in front of them. It goes a long way down, and Tony frowns, as the Red Skull waves his hand in that general direction. ‘’How do I get the Stone?’’ Thanos asks.

‘’You have to sacrifice someone you love,’’ the Red Skull offers in an even tone.

Gamora chokes out a laugh, as she looks straight at Thanos. ‘’ All my life I dreamed of a day, a moment, when you got what you deserved. And I was always so disappointed. But now you kill and torture and you call it mercy. The universe has judged you. You asked it for a prize and it told you no. You failed. And do you want to know why? Because you love nothing. No one.’’

‘’Gamora,’’ Tony says, taking her hand again urgently. Gamora believes that Thanos is incapable of love; Tony doesn’t. He’s never believed that Thanos doesn’t care. The thing is – Thanos cares more about his ambition than his children, and he always has, because he believes the is the father of the entire universe. Thanos is ready to sacrifice half the universe to save the other half, and he does it out of a misplaced love that Tony, once, had too.

But Tony had Haran, who told him that love didn’t quite work like that. And Tony pities Thanos, if only for a second, because no one has taught Thanos that. At least, not in time.

And then his pity turns to revulsion again, because he’s also learnt that this is a choice, and Thanos has long made his. And Tony knows how this is going to end.

Thanos stares at the both of them, silently. A single tear runs down his cheek.

‘’Really, tears?’’ Gamora asks, almost mockingly. 

‘’They’re not for him,’’ Tony says, and tries to pull Gamora with him. Because he knows that although Thanos has always felt affection for Tony, he loves Gamora the most. Tony never has had the strength to do everything Thanos wanted him to – that was apparent the day he first met Gamora, when he couldn’t watch her people be killed. Gamora is stronger than him, in that respect, has grown even better at bottling up her feelings than Tony himself. She’s never shown anything to Thanos that he would take as weakness, and in doing so, she became Thanos’ favourite.

Tony knows this, and he dreads this. ‘’Gamora,’’ he says helplessly, but she doesn’t come with him. She stares at Thanos, and her adoptive father stares back. She knows.

‘’This isn’t love,’’ she whispers.

‘’Don’t,’’ Tony says as Thanos takes a step towards them. ‘’Don’t you dare, I’ll kill you –‘’

‘’I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do it again. Even for you. I’m sorry, Gamora.’’

‘’NO!’’ Gamora shouts, and Tony takes her by the shoulders, trying to get her to move, but then Thanos is there, and he’s far stronger than Tony is.

‘’Gamora!’’ Tony yells, trying to hit and kick Thanos, who doesn’t budge. Gamora is crying out loud, hitting Thanos’ back as she tries to get away, finally out of her frozen state. It’s too late – neither of them are strong enough. ‘’Gamora, no!’’

The image of Thanos, throwing Gamora down the cliff, is something that Tony will never be able to forget. He shouts himself hoarse as he runs towards the edge, trying to see her, trying to see if she made it. But Gamora disappears, her voice still echoing, and Tony reaches out his hand, even if he knows she’ll never hold it again.

He starts breathing far too quickly, feeling a panic attack coming up. Thanos killed Gamora. Thanos just killed his sister. Tony sits down and closes his eyes.

Gamora.

~*~

Tony, without his Iron Man armour or arc reactor, has never felt more mechanic than he does at this very moment, sitting on a rock. He’s watching the cliff without any expression on his face, unable to even think back on what has happened.

He can’t cry, he doesn’t talk. He hasn’t moved since Thanos put him here. He thinks he might be broken beyond repair, this time.

Thanos murdered Gamora, and Tony watched.

‘’You must come with me,’’ Thanos says, as he regards Tony with shadowed eyes. ‘’This day has taken its toll. I want it to be worth it.’’

‘’Nothing is worth this,’’ Tony says hollowly. ‘’You should have thrown me in. I know you are fond of me, as well.’’

Thanos looks away briefly. ‘’I needed to be sure it would work.’’

And there’s no one Thanos loves more than Gamora. Tony closes his eyes again, taking a shuddering breath. ‘’Now you have your nice, shiny Soul Stone,’’ he says sarcastically. 

‘’Yes,’’ Thanos affirms. The orange gem shines on his gauntlet for a second. ‘’Now we must go to Earth, to find the other Stones.’’

‘’We?’’ Tony asks. 

Thanos looks at him. ‘’If you will not cooperate with me willingly, than I will use you against your allies,’’ he says.

Tony doesn’t have it in him to fight, anymore. There are multiple plans in place, and this one was only based on the assumption that Thanos wouldn’t have gotten around to getting any Infinity Stones, yet. This plan failed enormously, but that’s why there has been a military force ready on Earth the day that Tony, Gamora and Nebula set out for Titan.

But Tony has lost Gamora, and that’s a price he wasn’t willing to pay. Now, he doesn’t feel anything anymore, except for this unending numbness. 

So he doesn’t fight as Thanos lays a hand on his back and pushes him into the ship again. ‘’Earth is two days away,’’ Thanos says, as he locks Tony into the room he shared with Gamora, before. The empty water bottle is still lying on the ground. ‘’Make yourself comfortable.’’

With that, he disappears, and Tony is alone.

~*~

Nebula will have arrived on Earth, Tony would estimate, and have told everyone what happened. That would have given them enough time to prepare for the final battle, the plan B. Not that the plan A turned out to be very viable.

Tony still hears Gamora’s screams.

Anyway, he hopes that Nebula has succeeded, because if he’s lost her to Proxima or Ebony, Tony doesn’t know what he’ll do. He can’t have lost Neb too, and on top of that – if she hasn’t made it, Earth won’t be ready for the big surprise Thanos has for them. Not as much as they would have been otherwise, at least.

Tony doesn’t know how to feel anymore. All his emotions seem like they come from far-away, like there’s a wall between him and them. He can’t seem to care too much, anymore, about anything at all. He knows it’s wrong – he knows the fate of the universe depends on what is going to happen next. It just seems that even that prospect can’t get him to move, anymore.

Gamora is dead, but Tony feels like he’s lost his life, as well.

~*~

Tony wakes when he feels the ship land. He hasn’t had something to eat or drink since they left Vormir, and he feels nauseous. 

Thanos takes him by his arm, dragging him out of the ship. Tony blinks as the sun blinds him, and watches the grass he’s walking on instead. 

‘’Tony!’’ he hears someone yell, but he can’t make out who it is, right now. Thanos has a tight grip on his arm, and Tony belatedly reflects that it’ll probably bruise. None of that matters to him even in the slightest, anymore.

‘’So, once again on Earth,’’ Thanos says. ‘’This time, I’m not here to save you, but to take something. As you can see, I have brought my fleet. Resistance will only lead to your end. I will give you twelve hours to decide if you will give me what I want without blood-shed, or if you will have war.’’

Tony looks up; they’re in Wakanda, he sees, like the plan was. King T’Chaka is their ally, one of the most important ones they have, and as wry as it sounds, the plains in Africa are the safest place to fight this war. There are less bystanders than there would be in Europe or America, something that T’Chaka has acknowledged. His son, T’Challa, whom he’d named the Black Panther, stands with the warriors, a look of disgust on his face as he watches Thanos.

All the Avengers and Guardians are there, too. Loki stands beside Thor, the sceptre containing the Mind Stone firmly in his hand. Nebula’s eyes aren’t on Tony, but searching something behind him. Looking for Gamora, doubtlessly. She stands with the other Guardians, just behind Peter, who’s holding the gun with the Space Stone that Tony had made for him in his hands. Peter is the only one of the Guardians who is strong enough to wield an Infinity Stone, due to his father’s genes. The Time Stone remains in the Eye of Agamotto, resting on the chest of the Sorcerer Supreme. Stephen stands completely silent, but his hands are raised in a defensive gesture, ready to throw up one of those shields he seems to be so fond of.

‘’Give us Tony and Gamora, and we’ll consider it,’’ Steve says formally, ever the Captain. There’s no way in hell they’ll consider giving Thanos the Stones, Tony knows. He appreciates the effort, though.

Thanos is silent for a second, before he throws Tony down on the ground before him. ‘’You can have him, for now,’’ he says. ‘’I will collect him, after. Whether it’s after your surrender or your loss is up to you.’’ He turns back into his ship, and it takes off into the sky, hovering miles above Wakanda threateningly with dozens of other battle ships that have followed Thanos to Earth. They’re like a rain cloud that will wash Earth away.

The Guardians reach him first. ‘’Are you alright?’’ Peter demands, gun slung over his back, as he helps Tony up. ‘’Where’s Gamora? What happened?’’

‘’I can’t –‘’ Tony starts, as he falls half in Peter’s arms. ‘’Peter, I can’t –‘’

‘’Brother,’’ Nebula says, resting her hand on Tony’s cheek. ‘’Tell us. Wait, come here, Mantis. Calm him down.’’

Mantis doesn’t waste a second in resting her hand on Tony’s bare arm, and her eyes go wide as her antennas light up. ‘’Numbness,’’ she says. ‘’He’s _grieving_. There’s so much sadness and guilt.’’

‘’Grieving?’’ Rocket repeats. ‘’What does that mean?’’

‘’Gamora,’’ Nebula says softly. ‘’It’s Gamora, isn’t it? She didn’t come back.’’

‘’The Soul Stone,’’ Tony finds his voice, even as he trembles. Peter lets him go in shock, and Tony falls back to the ground. ‘’The Soul Stone,’’ he repeats. ‘’It needed a sacrifice. Someone he loved. He – I can’t. I couldn’t save her. Peter, I’m so _sorry_ , I wish –‘’

Peter’s eyes are wide, and Tony can see the wetness appear in them. ‘’Not here,’’ Stephen Strange says, as he reaches the group. ‘’Let’s get inside. We need to talk about a lot of things. Come, Tony, lean on me. Here you go.’’

Both Stephen and Stephen’s magic cape support Tony, and Bruce joins them to help as well. The Guardians trail behind them, as all the heroes and military support go make themselves ready for the coming fight.

Twelve hours, until the fate of the world is decided.

~*~

Tony’s been huddled in a blanket, a cup of coffee on the table before him. He’s been fed and given water first, but Tony is not sure he can hold it in. He’s still nauseous.

Peter and Nebula are there, the other Guardians have gone somewhere else to quietly mourn. All the Avengers are there, though, Bruce sitting next to Tony. Only Hope is missing, who’s gone to find Peggy for Tony. Apparently, Steve did not want her to be alone, so he’s brought her with them to Wakanda. Tony would doubt the wisdom of that choice, if he could bring himself to.

‘’So, Gamora is really dead?’’ Peter asks, voice trembling. He’s pacing in front of Tony, which doesn’t make him feel any better. ‘’Is it true?’’

‘’Yes,’’ Tony whispers. Nebula inhales sharply and closes her eyes, but doesn’t say anything.

Not Peter, though. Peter trembles, and then starts screaming at Tony, his eyes wide. Drax and Steve have to each hold one of Peter’s arms to stop him from coming at Tony, but Tony thinks he’d appreciate a good beating. ‘’Peter, calm down,’’ Maria Hill says, her arms crossed. ‘’ _Peter_!’’ 

‘’Let him,’’ Tony says. ‘’He’s right to be mad at me. She gave up the location of the Soul Stone to stop Thanos from torturing me. She died because she couldn’t bear to see me like that.’’

‘’None of it is true,’’ Nebula says harshly. ‘’Gamora died because Thanos decided to kill her. You loved her, Tony. You would’ve protected her, if you could. None of us could have stood up to Thanos alone. We all agreed to try it this way. It didn’t work, and Gamora paid for it with her life. Peter, she wouldn’t have wanted you to be mad at Tony. Tony, she wouldn’t want you to be mad at yourself, either. Gamora was better than that.’’

Her voice is steady, but Tony knows that’s all only a mask. Peter falls into Tony’s arms, crying. ‘’Out,’’ Tony says hoarsely, as he supports Peter. ‘’All of you. Only Nebula and Peter stay.’’

‘’We need a plan,’’ Maria says.

‘’We’ll think of something,’’ Steve says resolutely. ‘’Come. Tony, I’ll send Peggy in when we find her, okay?’’

Tony nods, but doesn’t say anything until all of them have left and it’s only Nebula and Peter by his side. Peter is sobbing his heart out, still crying out inaudible words. Nebula just leans her head against Tony’s shoulder and breathes in and out. Tony closes his eyes, and tries to forget Gamora’s cries.

~*~

‘’I brought Arsenal,’’ Peggy says. The robot is hiding behind Peggy’s back, but once it sees Tony, it shoots forward. ‘’I hope that is okay.’’

Tony smiles half-heartedly as the robot halts in front of him. ‘’Hey, buddy,’’ he says.

‘’You shouldn’t have to bear this loss,’’ Peggy tells him, as she sits down next to him. They’re alone, as the others are preparing the attack. They haven’t even asked him if he wants to join. He doesn’t quite know what his answer would be.

‘’Don’t make this about me,’’ Tony says. ‘’Gamora lost her life.’’

‘’But you have to deal with that,’’ Peggy answers softly. ‘’If I could bring her back to you, I would. I know she and Nebula are the dearest to your heart in this world. She deserved better, and so do you, and so does Nebula, and so does Peter.’’

‘’Don’t underestimate yourself,’’ Tony chokes. He feels himself start to tremble again, but it’s better than the numbness he’s felt the past days.

Peggy shrugs. ‘’I’m an old lady, and I’ve lived my life. I know I’m not who I used to be.’’

‘’That doesn’t mean I don’t love you, too.’’

‘’I know that,’’ she says, and pats his knee. ‘’I know that, my dear Tony.’’

‘’So how did you do it?’’ he asks, looking her in the eye. ‘’How’d you deal with it?’’

Peggy looks away, as if looking into the past. ‘’No one really deals with it,’’ she reflects. ‘’Time passes, and we live. I was angry, for a time, but there was no one to be angry with. You don’t have that problem.’’

‘’Thanos,’’ Tony says, and something in his heart spikes. ‘’I’ll kill him for this.’’

‘’This, and many other things,’’ Peggy agrees. ‘’Go kick his ass. For Gamora, and everyone else he has hurt. For yourself.’’

Tony nods, mainly to himself, and stands up. ‘’I will,’’ he says, and it sounds like a promise made with blood.

~*~

‘’There is no other way,’’ he hears Loki say as he enters the room. Everyone has a desperate determination over them, and for the Guardians, it goes paired with a grief that settles over the entire team. ‘’Thanos cannot have the Stones. Fighting is the only option.’’

‘’I wasn’t saying we shouldn’t fight,’’ Bruce says, cleaning his glasses. It’s a nervous tick, Tony has noticed. ‘’I’m only saying that there are a lot of ships in the sky. Wakanda has those shields, but we can’t keep them off forever. They’ve got a lot of soldiers, more than we do. And we only have a bunch of superhuman heroes.’’

‘’It’s all we need,’’ Tony says resolutely. All heads whip up to watch him. ‘’We have three Infinity Stones, and three people to wield them. Those will be our heavy hitters. Loki, Peter, Stephen, I don’t want you to hold back. Hit them where it hurts the most. Keep away from Thanos, though – we can’t risk him killing you and taking the Stones. I have a spare suit here, it was an upgrade for Rhodey, but I guess I’ll have to steal it. The flyers will hit Thanos from far away, and I’ll have Arsenal sending everyone updates. He’ll have an overview of the entire battle. Those on the ground will have to deal with Thanos’ children, first – they’ll be our main problem, as leaders. I suggest Nebula will lead those teams, as she knows how they will fight. The military will have to deal with Thanos’ ordinary soldiers. We need to do this. For Gamora. For the rest of the galaxy. For everyone Thanos has ever killed. To avenge our past, and to take back our future.’’

‘’I couldn’t agree more,’’ Steve says. ‘’I’m glad to have you back, Tony.’’

‘’Let’s assemble,’’ he says grimly.

~*~

For twelve hours, Wakanda prepares. Some people go to sleep, though most are too restless to even attempt such a thing. There’s a tense atmosphere, but Tony tries to ignore it in favour of upgrading the suit. It isn’t as bound to him as his other armour was, but since Thanos whisked that out of existence, this will have to do. It means Rhodey has to do without an upgrade, but that can’t be helped.

The end of the world as he knows it is coming, one way or another, and Tony doesn’t know what to feel. Either they lose and half the galaxy will be wiped away, or they win and Thanos will be gone from his life. Either possibility is unimaginable to him, but one of the two is going to happen.

‘’You alright?’’ Rhodey asks, as he comes to pick up his suit. The worry is evident in the other man’s dark eyes, and he lays a hand on Tony’s shoulder.

Tony nods slowly. ‘’Considering it’s the end of the world? Sure.’’

Rhodey shrugs. ‘’At least we’ll go out with a bang. Your friends are with you, Tones.’’

‘’Thanks,’’ he says, heartfelt. He may not have known Rhodey for that long a time, but he already can’t imagine losing the witty sergeant. 

He hopes they’ll all survive this, because he couldn’t bear to lose more friends.

~*~

Thanos walks forward, facing the assembled forces of Earth passively, almost bored. Tony makes sure to stand back with the other flyers. Arsenal chirps by his side, and Tony scratches the robot’s head. ‘’It’ll be alright, buddy,’’ he murmurs, though he’s probably mostly talking to himself.

Peter stands beside him, the gun with the Space Stone loosely in his hands. ‘’Don’t go for Thanos, Peter,’’ Tony warns him. ‘’You know she wouldn’t want you to.’’

‘’I know,’’ Peter says, but his eyes are focused on the Titan. ‘’I’d like to, but I won’t. All of you rely on this. We will avenge Gamora.’’

‘’Good, because I think we’ve been adopted by the Avengers,’’ Tony says, and then focuses on Thanos again.

Hope van Dyne walks forward, not an ounce of insecurity in her stride. ‘’We will not surrender to you,’’ she says calmly but very clearly. ‘’We will fight.’’

‘’I thought so,’’ Thanos says. ‘’Then we’ll kill you.’’

‘’Well, you can try,’’ Hope says humourlessly. 

Prince T’Challa yells something in Wakandan, and the native soldiers stand up straighter. Rhodey yells at his own men, and there are other shouts, including from Steve. Tony takes a deep breath. This is it. This is the fight.

Thanos returns to his ship, and the Wakandan shields are activated. The aliens, as they enter the ground, kill themselves getting through it, but it’s working. Slowly but surely, they come through, the shield rippling and failing.

‘’For Wakanda!’’ T’Challa shouts, and charges forward.

‘’For Asgard!’’ he hears Thor yell, and the blast of thunder takes out a fair number of enemies.

‘’For Gamora,’’ Tony hears himself crying out, and the Guardians copy his yell as Tony flies up and starts shooting without mercy.

~*~

The battle is a mess. Tony shoots, and flies away, and Thanos’ children try to take him down if he gets too low. Fortunately, Peter and Nebula are always there in time to take care of them. Everyone is screaming, yelling, panting. There are dozens of bodies on the ground, and Tony doesn’t know if they’re from his side or Thanos’. Frankly, he doesn’t even have time to care about any of that.

Tony’s side may be outmanned, technically, but it’s clear they’re not outgunned. Tony sees his weapons fired all over the place, the children of Thanos falling to them. It gives him a sort of grim satisfaction.

Arsenal flies a few feet away from him, dropping its own bombs and chirping cheerfully. Tony follows its example and drops a few bombs of his own, careful not to hit his own people. ‘’ _Tony_!’’ he hears over the comm. They don’t have a lot of contact over it, as everyone is too busy fighting, but it’s necessary for emergencies.

‘’I’m here,’’ he responds, though he’s not sure who actually spoke in the first place.

‘’ _It’s Loki, they’ve cornered him. We can’t get to him in time_!’’ Now he recognizes Steve’s voice.

‘’Coming,’’ he says easily, and changes his course. Loki is easily visible, thanks to the sceptre, and indeed, he’s being overwhelmed with enemies. They’ve built a wall of aliens around him, and anyone trying to get into the circle to help Loki is being shot at quite accurately.

He flies towards it, but just as he’s nearing Loki’s position, something heavy hits him and brings him crashing into the ground. At least he falls on top of an enemy, who’s now quite crushed to death, Tony sees, as he heaves himself up.

He turns to see who took him out, and he’s not surprised by who he sees coming towards him. Ebony Maw, hands raised, and eyes full of malevolence. ‘’Thor, Rhodey, one of you, come help Loki _now_. I can’t get there in time,’’ he says in his comm. Then he fully stands up, facing his once-brother.

‘’After all this time, I get to kill you for real,’’ Ebony snarls. ‘’All those years you mocked me, all those years I won, and I never could finish it. He was so fond of you, don’t you know? Of all his children, he always said that you had the most potential. And then you left, and who became his new favourite? Gamora. That little girl who would rather spend time playing with you than training for Thanos. I have never failed in my life, Tony. I’ve been his most loyal child. And yet, it’s the traitors he loves the most.’’

‘’Maybe it’s because you craved it,’’ Tony says, raising his gauntlets. ‘’We never wanted Thanos’ twisted version of love. We wanted a family.’’

‘’We were brothers!’’ Ebony says. ‘’Thanos gave us a family! A place we could reach our potential! A place we could fulfil his mission!’’

‘’We weren’t a family. We were assassins. Pawns. Thanos is wrong, and he always has been. And so many people have died because of that.’’

‘’And you’ll be the next!’’ Ebony says, and Tony can feel himself being lifted into the air. He shoots his repulsors, but Ebony makes a shield out of the ground, and Tony curses.

‘’Can someone distract Maw?’’ he asks over the comm. There’s some static, before he gets an answer, while he tries to break free. 

‘’ _I’m on my way to my Loki, and Thor’s pretty caught up somewhere else,’’ Rhodey says apologetically. ‘’Is there someone on the ground who can help Tony out? Guys?_ ’’

‘’ _You’re too far away for me to reach in time_ ,’’ Nebula responds.

Tony crunches his teeth as the suit becomes a bit tighter. Maw is too strong for him, he can’t counteract this; maybe this is how their final battle will end. Ebony usually won, after all, so there’s not much surprise there.

Breathing becomes hard, and Tony closes his eyes.

Suddenly, the weight on his chest is gone, and Tony falls down on the ground again. He sits up immediately, opening his eyes. Ebony is lying on his side on the ground, looking at Arsenal. The little robot pushed him over to save Tony.

Maw glares at the robot, and with one turn of his hand, the head of Arsenal is screwed off. Arsenal falls lifelessly on the ground, its head rolling away. ‘’No!’’ Tony shouts, and releases an arc reactor beam at Ebony in pure anger. It’s not rational, at all – the beam is strong enough to take out dozens of Thanos’ soldiers, but he aims it solely at Ebony.

Even Ebony isn’t prepared for that. The beam hits him right across the chest, and he falls down, clutching his injury even as he shouts out in agony. ‘’Shit,’’ Tony murmurs, even if he doesn’t know why. He flies towards his fallen enemy and his fallen robot.

There’s no last words for Ebony. His eyes are open, and he blinks once more before his body goes limp and his eyes go lifeless. Tony feels a pang of sorrow for his loss. He’s spent so much time with Ebony in his youth that he can’t help but loathe that it had to end this way.

But Ebony wouldn’t have changed his path, and neither would Tony. This was the only way it could end.

Arsenal is broken, and Tony flies away, even as he mourns for the little robot. It’s fixable, but with all the people who will trample over it, it might not be when the battle is done. He doesn’t have time to save the parts – actual people’s lives are on the line, and they have to be put first.

Even if Arsenal is all he has left of his father. Even if Arsenal saved his life, in the end, and that means that _Howard_ saved him, in some sort of backward way. There’s no time to process all of that – he has to get to Loki and Rhodey.

Only Rhodey is still standing, Tony sees. Loki is lying on the ground, clutching his side with a blood-stained hand. With the other hand, he is holding onto the sceptre tightly. It’s taking Rhodey a lot of effort to keep the enemies away, though, and Tony lands next to him. ‘’Hey, buddy,’’ Rhodey says, sounding slightly out of breath.

‘’Don’t mind me, I’m just saving the damsel in distress,’’ Tony says. ‘’We need to get Loki to a secure position. Loki, can you stand?’’

‘’I can fight,’’ Loki says. ‘’Just give me a minute.’’

‘’Yeah, no, he can’t stand,’’ Rhodey answers. ‘’I’ll keep them off, you take Loki away.’’

‘’There’s no place you could bring me that I would be safe,’’ Loki says harshly. ‘’You know this, Tony. As long as I have the Mind Stone, Thanos’ minions will be after me.’’

Tony has to think, while he stands back to back with Rhodey, keeping Thanos’ warriors at bay. They have to protect Loki with the Infinity Stone, which will be hard, or they’ll bring the Infinity Stone to someone who isn’t injured. They’ll still have to get Loki to safety, but no one will be after him when the Mind Stone is in someone else’s hands. The question remains of who can handle the sceptre.

‘’Steve,’’ he says over the comm. ‘’Loki is too injured to continue fighting. I’m going to bring him somewhere safe and then I’ll give you the Mind Stone.’’

‘’ _Sceptres aren’t really my style_ ,’’ Steve responds.

‘’Well, that’s something you’re going to have to deal with,’’ Tony answers. He knows Steve is uncomfortable with being given that much power, but he can’t think of anyone else to handle it. Thor might, but he already has Mjölnir, so an extra tool will only get in the way. Steve’s shield can be replaced.

‘’Tony,’’ Rhodes says through his teeth, and Tony only barely wards off an incoming attack. ‘’Take Loki, now.’’

‘’Clench up, Bambi,’’ Tony says, and with one movement he turns, grabs Loki, and flies into the air.

Loki hisses in pain, but there’s not much Tony can do about it right now. He flies him as fast as Loki can take, going towards the city. Once he’s there, he quickly lands. There are three Wakandan women staring at him. ‘’Injured?’’ one of them asks.

‘’Can you take him to medical?’’ Tony asks, as Loki sits down and closes his eyes in pain.

The woman nods. ‘’We will take care of him. Go,’’ she says, and Tony takes the sceptre from Loki.

‘’Win this battle, Tony,’’ Loki says. ‘’Beat them.’’

‘’That was always the plan,’’ Tony answers, and flies back into the air, towards the battle.

~*~

It’s absolute chaos when Tony returns. Maybe it already was when he left to drop Loki off, but who knows. He recognizes several of his allies immediately, but he has yet to find Steve. He flies over the battle, evading Thanos’ ships and flying children, trying to find the super soldier.

‘’Where’s Steve?’’ he asks. No one responds. ‘’Hey, can anyone hear me? Has anyone seen –‘’

‘’ _Tony, look out!_ ’’ Nebula shouts.

The warning comes too late. Once again, Tony is slapped out of the air like a fly. He makes a crash-land, the sceptre flying out of his hands and falling on the ground, a few feet away. Tony hoists himself up, and finds himself eye to eye with Thanos.

‘’Oh shit,’’ he says, and lunges towards the sceptre.

Thanos has the same idea, though, and takes one end of it while Tony desperately holds onto the other end. ‘’You are too late, my son,’’ Thanos says, and swings the sceptre to throw Tony off. Tony doesn’t fall too far away, and jumps at the sceptre even as Thanos breaks it, so that only the Mind Stone remains.

For a single second, the gem shines in Thanos’ hand, as brightly as the sun itself. For a second, Tony thinks he is too late, and then –

He has his hand on the Infinity Stone, as it lays in his adoptive father’s hand. The look on Thanos’ face is almost comical, as he tries to shake off Tony. It looks like the gem is holding him there, though; it has burnt through Tony’s suit, but isn’t harming his hand. It’s like the Mind Stone is trying to make contact with him, as he feels the pulse on his mind. It feels odd, almost threatening, but there’s a soft sensation that comes along with it, almost as if he’s floating.

‘’Your mind is not strong enough to handle this,’’ Thanos says, but Tony knows what doubt sounds like. 

Tony smiles grimly. ‘’Try me.’’

The world disappears.

~*~

Tony is in a place he can’t quite define. He knows it’s not a physical realm – everything is sharper and clearer than it has ever been, moves faster than anything ever could. And yet, there is a constant. There’s the sound of a heartbeat, faintly audible in the distance, and as Tony focuses on that, everything slows down.

Thanos sits in front of him. They’re silent, as they face each other; for a minute, for an hour. Maybe it’s not even time. Maybe time doesn’t even exist.

‘’Where are we?’’ Tony asks softly.

Thanos looks around him. ‘’In the Mind Stone, perhaps,’’ he answers. ‘’Perhaps it’s your mind. Perhaps it’s mine. Maybe we are nowhere at all.’’

‘’This is it, isn’t it?’’ Tony asks. ‘’We’re not fighting physically. This is a mental combat.’’

‘’Yes,’’ Thanos agrees. ‘’Just as deadly. I did not think you would be an opponent equal to me, my son. But your mind – it’s evolved. You have always been extremely clever, but I had not realized you’d grown beyond the capabilities of a usual mortal.’’

‘’Neither did I,’’ Tony answers. ‘’I guess your potions to make me stronger and my attempts to link my suit with my mind must have altered something. Irredeemably. I don’t feel different.’’

‘’None of us do, until we realize we have this power,’’ Thanos says. ‘’I regret that I have to destroy you, Anthony. You must know that I loved you. I have never regretted taking you in as my son.’’

Tony tilts his head, and shrugs. He doesn’t have his suit, in this realm, whatever this place is. Neither does Thanos have his gauntlet. It’s mind versus mind, and Thanos may be a Titan, but Tony is human, and he’ll show him what that means. 

Thanos closes his eyes, and Tony starts screaming in pain.

He feels like he’s falling, drowning, like knives are dancing on his skin. But instead of his skin, it’s in his mind. Thanos is influencing the Stone, in some way, he realizes. He’s doing _something_ to hurt Tony, to kill him. If Tony doesn’t do something, Thanos may very well succeed.

Through the on-going pain, Tony thinks about Gamora. Not about her cries, and about her hitting Thanos’ back, as he dragged her to her end, like the way he’s thought about her these last days. No, he thinks about her soft smile at Peter as she entered the ship; the way she hummed along with the songs; the fondness in her eyes as Groot sits on her shoulder for a nap. He thinks about the gratitude in her eyes, when she looked at Nebula; the joy and disbelief when she looked at Tony.

Then he thinks about everyone else who has shown him what humanity means. Haran, Thor, Steve, Peggy. He thinks about Stephen and Loki, about Rhodey and Hope, about Maria and Bruce. Mostly, he thinks about the Guardians, and Peter, secretly turning on the song that he knows is Tony’s favourite. He thinks about Nebula, and her grateful looks when Tony helped her update her robotic parts, making them hurt less.

_Goin' up to the spirit in the sky, that's where I'm gonna go when I die, when I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's the best…_

Tony forgets the pain, and feels the determination to save all of those people go through him. He may not be the strongest, physically, but he has a strong will, and the mind to fulfil whatever he sets out to do. That is what will save him.

So he lets it flow through him, that same will, one that will equal Thanos’, and he _pushes back_ with all he has. It feels like running a marathon with two broken legs, but Tony has never minded a bit of pain. So he pushes, and pushes, and maybe he’s yelling, but he doesn’t know, and he pushes –

With a shout stuck in his throat, Tony opens his eyes, and sees a sky full of battleships. His suit is half torn apart, and he feels the grass tickle his bare arms. 

He sits up, feeling the world spin. There’s fighting around him, but he sees Peter shooting everyone who comes close to him from a distance. ‘’Tony!’’ Peter yells. ‘’Kill him!’’

Tony looks at Thanos, who’s lying on his back, breathing only barely. The Mind Stone is lying on the ground innocently, but Tony sidesteps it as he walks over to his adoptive father. ‘’Anthony,’’ Thanos wheezes. His eyes are barely open, and Tony has never seen him like this before. Thanos has always appeared so strong, powerful, invincible. 

He takes a gun that’s lying on the ground, discarded. It probably belonged to one of the corpses that surround him now. He aims it at Thanos, almost emotionlessly. ‘’I’m sorry you never realized how the world works,’’ Tony tells him. ‘’I know you cared. I might have turned out like you, one day, had I stayed with you. It turns out it’s not me that is the Merchant of Death, though. That’s always been you. And as long as I bore that title, I was your legacy. Well, I refuse to be the Merchant of Death, any longer. My name is Tony Stark, and I am the son of Howard and Maria Stark. I am Iron Man.’’

He raises the gun to shoot, but Thanos growls and closes his fist on which the Gauntlet sits, and Tony’s gun disappears into bubbles. ‘’No,’’ he gurgles, and laughs manically.

Tony looks at his hand, which held the gun. ‘’That’s anticlimactic,’’ he states.

Nebula appears beside him. She looks battle weary, but there’s a hardened look in her eyes, and she seemingly has managed to snatch one of the spears that Thanos’ warriors are fighting with. Without even a second wasted, she walks over to Thanos before he can even see her, and stabs him in the heart.

Thanos’ head lolls back, and Nebula lets go of the spear, staring at the man who adopted her with an unreadable look.

‘’Very effective,’’ Tony comments, trying to comprehend the immensity of what Nebula has just done. ‘’My compliments. It’s – this was the right way. It should have been you, after everything he’s done to you.’’

‘’What did you do that made him so weak?’’ Nebula asks, still looking at Thanos’ still body.

‘’Honestly? I’m not quite sure,’’ Tony admits. ‘’The Mind Stone brought us somewhere else. I just – I thought of all of you. Everyone I’ve met. And that was too much for him to handle.’’

‘’The Infinity Stones are fickle things,’’ Nebula says pensively. ‘’They have a will of their own, mostly. Who knows what it did?’’

Tony smiles, feeling relief go through his body for the first time. They have won. Everyone seems to know it; Thanos’ warriors started to retreat as soon as Nebula put that spear through his heart, and the tide of the battle has turned within seconds.

‘’We won,’’ Tony says.

~*~

It seems like the world is finally able to breathe, in the aftermath of the battle.

They have saved half the galaxy, but in doing so, they’ve sacrificed others. Maria Hill is among the dead, along with many other military men and women, who were ambushed. The rest of the Avengers still live, but Steve has several serious injuries, and Hope has lost the ability to walk. The others have survived the battle, only suffering minor wounds. Loki has been taken care of quite well, and is mostly mothering Thor, who has lost an eye in the battle, and is surprisingly casual about it. It isn’t helped by Rocket, who immediately offers to give Thor an eye he stole from an old man. Tony isn’t even surprised.

The Guardians have come out relative unscratched. Nebula needs to have some parts replaced, but that’s something that Tony can fix easily. Mantis was mainly kept on the outskirts of the battle, and is mostly fine. Tony doesn’t think anything can hurt Drax, and Groot is completely fine, possibly due to the fact that he’s too cute for even their enemies to consider hurting him.

Stephen Strange has broken an arm and is sporting some burning injuries – Tony doesn’t even know how he got by those – and Rhodey is mainly tired. Tony hasn’t seen T’Challa yet, but he’s been informed that the Black Panther is alive and well. So all in all, they’ve come away pretty good. Maria’s passing comes like a stab in the heart, but everyone else lives.

The majority of the heroes are sitting in a circle, except for those too severely injured to be there with them. Peggy is sitting next to Tony. She has spent a lot of time with Steve, since the battle, but he’s in surgery right now, and so she has joined Tony.

They have the Infinity Stones lying on the table before them, all six of them shining brightly. ‘’Infinite power,’’ Stephen says. He looks way less mysterious with his cast. ‘’These things are too dangerous to remain here.’’

‘’So, we’ll wish them out of existence,’’ Bruce says. ‘’It should be able to be done, logically speaking. And we have a gauntlet.’’

‘’I don’t want to deal with the Stones,’’ Tony says immediately. The Mind Stone was quite enough for him. ‘’Someone else can deal with it.’’

‘’None of us has the power to handle all six of them,’’ Loki interjects from where he’s sitting. ‘’We need to use the Gauntlet together. I suggest the ones who are familiar with the Stones use them. That means Strange, Tony, Quill and me.’’

‘’I could assist,’’ Thor offers, and Loki slaps the back of his head.

‘’You’re not doing anything until you’re healed,’’ Loki says, and Thor rolls his eye.

‘’We could probably use his help,’’ Tony says. ‘’Maybe the other Guardians can help, too. They’ve all held the Power Stone with Peter, some time ago.’’

‘’That should do it,’’ Stephen says.

They look at the Stones, as the Guardians move closer. Mantis eyes the Soul Stone curiously, and she goes to touch it. ‘’Mantis!’’ Tony says, but he’s too late, and she touches it.

Mantis doesn’t disintegrate, though. Her antennas light up. ‘’I can feel Gamora,’’ she says softly, and Tony sucks in his breath. ‘’She is sleeping. She is trapped, and uncomfortable, but healthy. She misses us.’’

‘’She didn’t die?’’ Peter asks, almost like a whisper.

‘’No,’’ Mantis confirms. ‘’She is in here.’’

‘’We need to get her out,’’ Nebula says, standing up. ‘’Can we get her out?’’

‘’Yes,’’ Mantis says. ‘’But it’s a soul for a soul. That’s the price. Someone that loves her has to sacrifice someone else they love, if they want Gamora back.’’

Tony breathes out slowly. ‘’So we can’t,’’ he says. ‘’We can’t sacrifice someone else. That’s not what she would want.’’

The room is silent. Tony suddenly feels like they’ve lost, after all.

~*~

Tony doesn’t mean to spend the night lying awake, but he has a lot to think about. He thinks about searching out someone else, maybe joining Nebula at guarding the Infinity Stones. There is an unspoken agreement to wait a bit longer to wish them out of existence, because Tony can’t quite accept losing Gamora forever.

He wants his sister back, and accepting that he can’t is like a blow to his already broken heart.

In the end, he stays in his room, though he doesn’t sleep at all. His thoughts are racing, and he’s afraid he will have nightmares again if he tries to sleep. The image of Thanos, dead on the ground, haunts him, for some reason. Maybe it’s hard to accept that it’s finally over. The battle that started when he was seven has been fought, and now he’s restless, because he doesn’t know what comes next.

He thinks about staying with the Avengers. He decides on staying with Nebula, whatever she does. It probably means staying with the Guardians, and Tony doesn’t mind that. They’ve let him in on their makeshift family, and even if that means that Gamora’s absence will be even more noticeable, Tony thinks he couldn’t go on without them.

‘’Tony?’’ He looks up. It’s morning, now, but still very early. He didn’t expect anyone to be awake already. It’s Peggy, standing there. Tony thinks that maybe she hasn’t slept either.

‘’Hey, aunt Peggy,’’ he says, and she takes it for the invitation it is, as she enters his room. ‘’What are you doing up?’’

‘’Steve just came out of surgery,’’ she says. ‘’I wanted to be there. He’s fully awake and as overbearing a mother-hen as ever.’’

‘’Is he?’’ Tony asks, with a soft smile.

‘’Not really,’’ Peggy admits. ‘’I needed to talk to him, though. Just like I need to talk to you.’’

‘’About what?’’ Tony asks, bewildered. ‘’Is something wrong?’’

Peggy looks up at him. ‘’I’m ill, Tony,’’ she says. ‘’I’ve been ill for a while. I didn’t want to tell you, but it’s not just Alzheimer, anymore. My good days – well, they’re going to be over soon.’’

Tony takes a deep breath. ‘’I’m sure there’s something we can do –‘’ he starts, but as soon as he starts talking Peggy shakes her head, a fond look in her eyes.

‘’Now, you listen to me, young man,’’ she says. ‘’You’ve got a life ahead of you, full of family and friends. I’m an old lady, who’s lucky enough to have seen two of her boys again. But I’ve had a life, and while I’ve missed you both in it for a long time, don’t think I’m not grateful. I don’t mean to wait around to die. I’ve never been like that. I know you want to try and fix me, darling. You’re a Stark, after all. I want you to know that you can’t. It is my decision to leave this world however I want it to, and I’ve made a choice. Now, you know you’re loved, Anthony. Never forget it.’’

‘’You’re all I have left,’’ Tony says. He has to put in some effort not to tremble over his word, but he thinks Peggy notices anyway. ‘’I can’t lose you, too. I love you, Aunt Peggy.’’

‘’And I love you too, my boy,’’ Peggy answers easily, and covers his hand with hers. ‘’Death is part of life. You learnt that far too young, and you’ve had that lesson reinforced every day. This is my decision, Tony. I don’t regret it. You may be a Stark, but you’re also a Carter. That’s why you know that I have to make this choice.’’

She wants to take charge of her own life. It’s a decision Tony can admire, even if he doesn’t want her to leave him. But it’s her choice, and he can’t take that away from her. She doesn’t want to die ill and forgetful; she wants to do go on her own terms. She’s a soldier, after all.

Peggy Carter has always done things her own way, and Tony shouldn’t be surprised that her death would be any different.

‘’I’ll remember you,’’ he says, and she kisses his forehead. Her touch is nothing like Thanos’; it’s warm, and loving, and she doesn’t care about anything but Tony’s wellbeing. 

‘’As long as you don’t forget to always look forward, too, my dear Tony,’’ Peggy says, and then she stands up, and leaves.

Tony closes his eyes.

~*~

It’s a few hours later when Tony suddenly wakes up, which is when he realizes he fell asleep in the first place. His neck hurts, and he rubs at it absently as he takes in the light falling into the room. It’s still morning, but it’s late enough for other people to be awake.

A knock on the door awakens Tony properly, and he quickly stands up as he answers the door.

He doesn’t believe who is standing there. 

‘’Gamora?’’ he says dumb-struck, as he takes in the smiling woman before her. ‘’Wh- Gamora?’’

‘’Brother,’’ Gamora says, and steps forward to hug him.

Nebula is standing behind Gamora, a soft smile on her face. Peter’s there as well, and his smile is not as hidden as Nebula’s is. He’s beaming like a child, unable to take his eyes off Gamora. 

‘’What, is this for real? What happened?’’ Tony asks, dumbfounded. 

Gamora releases him, her expression turning more sober. ‘’I was trapped,’’ she says seriously. ‘’I wasn’t aware of it, in hindsight. It’s like waking up from a really bad dream, but – that’s what happened, after Thanos sacrificed me. I think – Nebula? I think you should tell him.’’

‘’Peggy,’’ Nebula says softly. ‘’She said this is how she wanted to go – giving you someone back you loved. She’s taken some medication beforehand, so she wouldn’t wake up anymore anyway. Her decision was final, so I let her make the sacrifice. She was a brave woman, Tony. She loved you very much.’’

‘’Peggy sacrificed herself for Gamora?’’ Tony asks. He thinks back to a few hours earlier, and has to sit down. He thought that Peggy was going to fly back, and well – he’d realized she wanted to end her life before her illness got worse, but he thought they still had some time.

He doesn’t know whether to mourn or be joyed, but there’s a strange mix of both going on. ‘’It turns out the Stone accepts self-sacrificing love, as well,’’ Nebula says. ‘’You couldn’t have changed her mind, Tony. She’s far too stubborn. A bit like you, I’d say.’’

‘’But – Steve?’’ he asks.

‘’Oh, he knew,’’ Peter says, laying a hand on Tony’s shoulder. ‘’Steve said goodbye, to her. I think he knows as well that there is no stopping that woman once she decides something. We’re here for you, bro. Whatever you need.’’

‘’Gamora,’’ Tony says. ‘’So you’re –‘’

‘’I’m here,’’ Gamora says. ‘’Fully alive and well, and very proud of what you have achieved. You’re a true Guardian of the Galaxy now, Tony. No going back.’’

‘’I wouldn’t want to,’’ Tony says, and doesn't know whether to smile or cry.

~*~

All of their hands fit easily in the Infinity Gauntlet. The gems shine softly, and Tony meets Peter’s eyes as both of them put their hand in the Gauntlet. The other Guardians are holding their hands to spread the sensation. It’s like a breeze is going through the room.

Stephen is standing next to Tony, gazing around the circle they have formed as Thor and Loki put their hands in the Gauntlet. ‘’Ready?’’ the Sorcerer Supreme asks.

Steve stands in the corner of the room, watching them wordlessly. Tony looks at him for approval. They’re both saying goodbye to Peggy, with this. Steve nods, only once.

‘’As ready as we’ll ever be,’’ Tony says, and closes his eyes.

As he opens them again, only a second later, his hand is empty. The gauntlet is gone, and so are the Infinity Stones. ‘’This is it?’’ Peter asks uncertainly. It seems to have gone so easily, after all the trouble the Stones have caused.

‘’This is it,’’ Loki confirms, and the god smiles.

Tony lets out a deep breath. It’s finally over.

~*~

_Goin' up to the spirit in the sky, that's where I'm gonna go when I die, when I die and they lay me to rest, gonna go to the place that's the best…_

‘’I don’t get why that is your favourite song,’’ Gamora complains. They’re still in Wakanda, but they’re going to go back to space the next day. They’ve lingered on Earth for a month, but Tony itches to go do something, again. He’s been fighting Thanos for so long, that he’s never fully appreciated the galaxy. Who better to start with than his family?

Tony shrugs. Gamora and Nebula are sitting next to him, having joined him in looking at the clouds. They’ve got a lot of stars, in space, but Tony thinks he’s maybe going to miss the clouds. Or maybe not – he can go back to Earth anytime he can. He’s a millionaire, now he’s figured out his dad’s legacy. And even if he didn’t have that kind of money, the Avengers have assured him that he can crash with them any time he wants. Thor and Loki have promised them to have a place for them if they want to visit Asgard, sometime, and that’s something that Tony really wants to take them up on.

‘’It speaks to me,’’ he says. 

‘’I like it,’’ Nebula offers. ‘’Better than those cheesy songs Peter usually plays, when he makes heart eyes at Gamora.’’

‘’Don’t think I haven’t noticed the heart eyes you make at Mantis,’’ Tony teases her, and Nebula sends him a threatening look. Tony isn’t bothered by it in the least.

They sit in peaceful silence, for a minute – or well, Tony is still humming the song, but apart from that, it’s pretty quiet. It’s different, like this, but Tony prefers it to the circumstances in which he met his sisters. He remembers first meeting Gamora, scared and far too young to lose her family. He remembers seeing Nebula after her first modification, and the realization that he had to let them go.

They’ve been through a lot. Tony doesn’t even want to count his losses, because there are more than he would ever like to admit. But he can’t change the past, and he shouldn’t want to try. He’s here, and he’s alive, and he still has a family and a future. It’s all he could wish for.

He’s no longer the Merchant of Death – he’s Iron Man. And more importantly, he’s Tony Stark. 

‘’Hey, guys!’’ Peter says, appearing behind them, waving enthusiastically. A chirping robot is flying by his side. ‘’Am I interrupting sibling time? Tony, you got to check this out. I think I taught Arsenal how to play fetch.’’

Tony smiles and leans back, watching the rebuilt and upgraded version of Arsenal make some noises that he hasn’t heard before. He rebuilt the robot with all the parts of the original Arsenal he could find, but he’s had to add a lot of new stuff. It’s the way it is supposed to be, maybe; a bit of the past, and a bit of the future. 

‘’I’ve found the weirdest people in the galaxy,’’ Tony says to himself, even as he finds himself standing up.

Gamora smiles. ‘’Don’t pretend you’re not one of us,’’ she says.

Tony laughs, because it’s true. He’s one of them.

And that’s exactly the way he likes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr as [tonystarrks](http://www.tonystarrks.tumblr.com). comments, kudos and bookmarks give me the will to write. 
> 
> also, shoutout to the awesome [ali](www.starkpilot.tumblr.com) for helping me so much with the plot and screaming in all the right places! i couldn't have done it without her. if you're in the mood to read some lovely steve/tony fics, you can find her on [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkpilot) as well! (though she also posts some shorter stories on her tumblr!)
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, and thanks for reading!


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